The Bishop Centre in Buckinghamshire has recently undergone a complete renovation.
The site’s complex series of ageing retail units were demolished and transformed into 101,500sq ft. of contemporary commercial space.
Creating large, welcoming entrances that could also deliver excellent thermal performance was vital to the sustainable ethos of the project.
As such, DORMA was appointed to supply a comprehensive door package including the ST FLEX Green energy saving automatic sliding doors – specially manufactured in Germany and some of the largest installed in the UK.
Located on the A4 between Maidenhead and Slough, the Bishop Centre is anchored by a 55,000sq ft. Tesco store and features ten additional retailers. Designed by 3D Reid Architects and from developer Land Securities, the Bishop Centre features a high-end structural glazing system, which forms a key part of the external building envelope.
Consistency of quality and aesthetics was of paramount importance throughout the new development. As such, the team behind the project partnered with DORMA and within the wide range of door solutions selected, a key product was the ST FLEX Green energy saving automatic sliding door.
The door package was installed by architectural glazing contractor Vitrine Systems Ltd, and complemented the Bishop Centre’s extensive Pilkington Planar glazed frontage to create a large, expanse of contemporary façade. This was key to establish a bright and welcoming retail unit.
“Large, thermally broken automatic sliding doors would provide more light and a greater feeling of space whilst enhancing the cutting edge aesthetic,” said Tony Williams, Contracts Manager at Vitrine Systems Ltd. “Utilising steel goalposts to support their size, the sleek design of the DORMA ST FLEX Green proved a perfect match to the all-glass facade.”
To meet the performance requirements of the architects’ specification, and with entrances key to achieving energy efficiency, it was also important to select a range of thermally efficient door systems.
The DORMA ST FLEX Green automatic sliding door combines its slender profile and fine frame with outstanding thermal insulation – achieving a very low U-values of 1.4 – 1.8W/m2K to considerably reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions. Designed to closely resemble the company’s standard ST FLEX systems, the ST FLEX Green offers outstanding insulation to meet the thermal requirements of Approved Document L.
The Tesco store located in unit 1, used the DORMA ST Flex Green automatic sliding door to complete the building envelope, whilst the large glass entrance lobby used for additional retail space has two entrance options using DORMA frameless glass automatic sliding doors to maintain the light and airy feel. For the entrances to a coffee shop and wine warehouse, DORMA’s ED250A automatic swing doors were specified to deliver smooth and reliable access into units 10 and 11.
Door packages for retail spaces have to create aesthetically pleasing frontage to welcome potential customers as well as provide a durable solution that can withstand a constant flow of traffic. Adding to this the need to achieve excellent thermal efficiency and for large retail parks it can seem like a challenging specification.
However, for the new Bishop Centre in Buckinghamshire – DORMA provided the ideal solution that met the aesthetic, performance and environmental needs of the project.