GEZE UK Creates Uplifting Entrance
For Spitfire-Shaped Building
Archetech - Page 42
The Wing, an eye-catching building
designed to echo the shape and uplift of
a Spitfire’s wings, features an expansive
curved glass viewing platform on the first
floor. So, it naturally needed an entrance
that would reflect the style of the
building and GEZE UK, renowned for its
curved automatic sliding door systems,
was top of the list.
To echo the lines of the viewing platform,
GEZE installed two of its popular
Slimdrive SCR all-glass circular lobbies to
create two impressive entrances to the
Wing, which houses a new visitor and
education centre for the Battle of Britain
Memorial Trust at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent.
The first provides access from the car
park to the building and the second,
directly opposite, provides access to the
memorial outside.
Situated on top of the white cliffs,
between Dover and Folkestone, the
award-winning building is truly open to
the elements. It was therefore important
to choose the right automatic door
system because prevailing winds can
affect the operation of some doors.
Furthermore, the creation of a lobby
helps to limit heat loss contributing to a
building’s environmental credentials and
prevents blasts of hot or cold air which
are uncomfortable for staff and visitors.
Each circular lobby features two sets of
automatic bi-parting curved sliding glass
doors to create an accessible, draughtfree entrance.
The doors are powered by GEZE’s
Slimdrive SCR drive which has an
operating height of just 7cm, making
the installation almost invisible and
enhancing the all-glass effect.
Installing curved doors can increase the
size of the entrance by up to 40 per cent
compared to sliding doors, making them
ideal for lobbies that experience high
levels of footfall.
The Wing is home to The Scramble
Experience, a hands-on attraction that
allows visitors to learn more about what it
was like for ‘the Few’ during the summer
and early autumn of 1940.