GEZE UK provides ‘secret weapon’ for Visitor Centre

The official opening of the National Trust for Scotland’s new Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre was timed to coincide with both the battle’s 700th anniversary and Homecoming, Scotland’s Year of Celebration.

With 80 000 visitors expected in the first year alone, architect Reiach & Hall specified two automatic doors from GEZE UK to create a stylish lobby that would meet the highest standards of safety and complement the building’s bold glass and brick design.

Bannockburn Visitor Centre, which offers an immersive 3D digital experience that transports visitors back in time, is entered through a wedge-shaped lobby featuring two GEZE ISO automatic sliding doors powered by Slimdrive SL operators. The lobby will contribute to the building’s sustainability by ensuring an even temperature is maintained inside.

The Slimdrive SL operator is almost invisible in elevation thanks to its extremely slim design and a drive unit height of just 7cm. It is an intelligent automatic door operator, which makes it perfect for high traffic areas where opening and closing a door manually would not be appropriate.

As with all public buildings, safety is paramount. As a result, GEZE’s engineers have opted for two different safety devices to ensure visitors cannot accidentally trap their fingers in the door mechanism. The narrower outer door features a pocket created by a pocket screen and the building’s façade. The inner door, however, is wider meaning people are less likely to enter the entrapment zone, so it has been fitted with a safety sensor to slow and stop the door if required.
 
Inside the centre, GEZE UK has installed an ECdrive sliding door operator to power the internal wooden museum door. The ECdrive is specifically designed for use in busy areas. It uses GEZE’s actuation technology and thanks to its self-cleaning roller carriage and low friction, the operator is quiet, reliable and durable.

Andy Howland, sales director of GEZE UK, added: “The Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre is an extremely prestigious project both for the National Trust for Scotland and for the nation, and was shortlisted in the 2014 RIAS Awards so we were delighted to be part of the project.

“The Slimdrive SL is the perfect solution, because it has been specifically designed for high footfall areas and its slim design perfectly complements the design of the building.”