Traditional
The traditional sliding doors design has two panel sections, one fixed-stationary and one mobile to slide open. The actual sliding door is a movable rectangular framed sheet of window glass that is mounted parallel to a similar and often fixed similarly framed neighboring glass partition. The movable panel slides in a fixed track usually, and in its own plane parallel to the neighboring stationary panel.
A specialty form, for Washitsu or «Japanese-style rooms,» creates sliding Shōji and Fusuma panel doors, with traditional materials for interior uses and contemporary adaptations for exterior exposure and uses. They are used in themed and contemporary restaurants, residences, Japanese garden tea houses, and other situations. Specialty manufacturers are located in Japan and ‘Western’ countries.
Disappearing
Another sliding doors design, glass pocket doors has all the glass panels sliding completely into open-wall pockets, totally disappearing for a wall-less ‘wide open’ indoor-outdoor room experience. This can include corner window walls, for even more blurring of the inside-outside open space distinction. Two story versions are often electronically opened, using remote controls. For wide expanses the opening point is centered, and three to six parallel tracks are used to carry the six to twelve sliding doors into the wall pockets on each side. Their recent popularity, shelter magazine coverage, and technical and structural innovations, has brought many options to market.
Trackless & disappearing
A third sliding doors design has all the glass panels suspended from above, leaving an trackless and uninterrupted floor plane. They also disappear into side pockets. On final closure they slightly drop down to create a weatherproof seal. A German manufacturer developed the original technology, and their use is predominantly in temperate climates.
