Designed by Bblur Architecture, the Bus Station is the first part of a massive £400 million mixed used regeneration masterplan. Once completed, the ‘Heart of Slough’ project will include new offices, residential homes, leisure facilities and a library. Replacing Slough’s outdated 1970s Brunel Bus Station, the design of the new bus station is so iconic that it has already been exhibited at the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy, the largest open submission contemporary art exhibition in the world.
Comprising a unique 140 metre feature length canopy, the new Bus Station will include 10 bus bays, three layover spaces and associated bus stands, alongside enhanced passenger facilities including waiting rooms, a coffee shop, newsagents, toilet facilities and cycle stands. To provide reliable and efficient access from the waiting rooms to the buses, Bblur Architecture specified DORMA ES 200 sliding door operators.
With the waiting rooms being partly open to the elements, it was essential that the sliding door operators would be resilient to various weather conditions. They also had to be robust to withstand constant use and aesthetically attractive to fit in with the modern, sleek design of the building. With its global expertise on the provision of products for virtually any environment, DORMA recommended its ES 200.
The ES 200 is designed to meet the requirements of almost every automatic sliding door application. Easy to install and set-up, it features a powerful motor and a dynamic acceleration/deceleration control capability to ensure safe and reliable operation. The operating performance of the ES 200 is matched by its stylish, clean design, with a sophisticated appearance that complements any interior design scheme.
Available as a component kit or as a complete pre-assembled operator, it is suitable for a wide range of door widths, weights and functionality. It is also available as an integrated operator in DORMA’s sliding door systems.
Working with specialist subcontractor Environmental Technology (Entech), DORMA supplied its ES 200 sliding door operators for installation on 11 sets of sliding glass doors. Brian Bailey, Managing Director at Entech explains, “We have worked closely with DORMA on past projects and know the quality of its products and the service it offers. With the unusual design of this project it was important that we had design flexibility and DORMA could guarantee this.”
To ensure passenger safety and maintain a comfortable environment in the waiting rooms, the ES 200 sliding door operators have been fitted with additional sensors. These enable bus drivers to open the doors when they pull in to collect passengers, ensuring the doors are only open when required. The integration of the remote sensors stops passengers being able to walk out into the bus bays and minimises cold air or rain entering the waiting rooms. To ensure completely safety, the doors are fitted with an override system.
The Slough Bus Station project is due for completion in Spring 2011.
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