GEZE UK’s entrance for the
Whitworth Gallery is a work of art
When the Whitworth, part of The
University of Manchester, launched
an architectural competition for its
extension, it wanted a design that
would make its important collection
accessible to a wider range of visitors
and re-establish the relationship with its
grounds, home of England’s first gallery
in a park.
The winning design, by McInnes Usher
McKnight Architects (MUMA), is both
sensitive and inspirational – glass,
stainless steel and brick have been
married with the Grade II listed building
to create an elegant exhibition space
overlooking the park. And with over
440,000 people visiting each year, GEZE
UK were chosen to create an automatic
entrance to ensure that the building –
and therefore the art - is accessible to all.
The new glass entrance connects the
gallery to the surrounding park and
features two sets of sliding glass doors
powered by GEZE’s Slimdrive SL NT
automatic operators. The doors have
been positioned directly opposite each
other to create a lobby. This contributes
to sustainability by ensuring heat loss
and gain is minimised without limiting
accessibility. It also helps to ensure a
pleasant even temperature for visitors
and staff without blasts of hot or cold air
when the doors are opened.
Archetech - Page 74
Thanks to its slim design and a drive unit
height of just 7cm, the Slimdrive SL NT
operator has been discretely installed
so it is barely noticeable to the user.
The operators are finished in the same
brushed simulated stainless steel finish
as the porch structure and two 130mm
diameter stainless steel bollards with
push pads have been installed to allow
visitors to activate the doors. Pocket
screens have been installed to ensure the
safety of visitors to the gallery.
As with all GEZE’s automatic operators
the Slimdrive SL NT enables compliance
to the Equality Act and BS 8300.
The Whitworth’s £15m extension project
has already been recognised by the
architectural community scooping a RIBA
National Award 2015, Building of the Year
in the RIBA North West Regional Awards
and two AJ Retrofit Awards – Cultural &
Public Buildings and Heritage & Listed
Buildings. It has also been awarded
the Art Fund Prize for Museum of the
Year 2015 for ‘redefining the way that it
engages with its public, connecting the
building and surrounding park’. It was
also was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling
Prize.
“The Slimdrive SL NT has been designed
to be aesthetically pleasing whilst
offering exceptional functionality and
reliability, which is why it is chosen
time and again for buildings such as
the Whitworth that have high levels of
footfall.”
Andy Howland, sales director of GEZE
UK added: “The Whitworth is a culturally
significant building with a collection of
huge national importance, so it was a
privilege to be involved in creating an
entrance that would help make it easily
accessible to the thousands of people
that visit each year.
For more information about GEZE UK’s
comprehensive range of automatic
operators, manual door closers and
window technology products
call 01543 443000 or visit
www.geze.co.uk.