Grounded base
The base anchors the system visually and physically. Its recessed drainage zone keeps water controlled without turning the tray into a decorative feature.
Award-winning physical prototype · CAD-developed system
ENTRY — Wet-Dry Threshold System
A compact wet-dry threshold system for organizing the first moments of coming home.
London Design Awards 2026 — Silver Winner
Product Design — Home Furniture / Decoration
Press & recognition
Creating Calm Through Industrial Design
Published by Muse.World following the London Design Awards, the interview expands on the thinking behind ENTRY, the relationship between industrial design and CAD engineering, and the broader direction of Built by Zhen.
ENTRY — Wet-Dry Threshold System2026 Silver Winner · Product Design — Home Furniture / Decoration
Problem
Most entryways do not only suffer from storage shortage. They suffer from threshold ambiguity.
Wet umbrellas lean against walls. Shoes spread across the floor. Keys, bags, and everyday carry items occupy whatever surface happens to be available. Disorder begins at the exact point where the home should become clear.
ENTRY responds to this moment as a product-system rather than a single storage object. It gives each arriving object a precise spatial role, while keeping the overall form quiet enough to live with.
System architecture
ENTRY organizes arrival through structure, sequence, and containment.
Central spine
The vertical support gives the object a clear structural order. Shelves and umbrella guidance elements extend from the spine as controlled horizontal layers.
Layered platforms
The repeated shoe platforms create a compact rhythm for footwear while preserving open space and legibility from the front and side.
Material & fabrication logic
Designed around simple, durable, and maintainable construction logic.
ENTRY is designed around a simple, manufacturable construction: a CNC-machined ABS main body, sheet-cut internal components, and a removable drainage tray for easy cleaning. The system is intended to be durable, water-resistant, and visually quiet, with parts organized around straightforward assembly and maintenance.
Development evidence
From product language to structural logic.
ENTRY was developed as a full-scale product system through CAD modeling, structural studies, and prototype refinement. The initial CAD evidence below documents the underlying 3D development process behind the physical prototype.
CAD Development
3D modeling and structural exploration of the threshold system.
Assembly Logic
Component relationships, support structure, and maintenance considerations.
Prototype Study
Physical evaluation connecting digital development with real-world use.
Gallery
Five views of the current ENTRY prototype.
