Architectural
glazing systems by leading UK manufacturer Kawneer were specified for a
transport hub at the heart of the regeneration of an area of Gloucester for
their ability to meet a trio of exacting requirements - aesthetics, performance
and budget.
Kawneer's AA®100
zone-drained curtain walling, AA®720 thermally superior doors and two types of
windows - AA®540 fixed lights and AA®3110 horizontal sliders - were selected by
regular Kawneer specifiers BDP architects for the £6.6 million futuristic new Gloucester
bus station.
Designed with a
single roof plane to resemble an aircraft wing and pay homage to the city's
aviation history, the building is a stunning interpretation of the brief which
was to deliver an iconic yet affordable transport hub.
The new transport
hub forms part of the initial phase of the regeneration of the city's Kings
Quarter and will integrate into the retail element with improved pedestrian
links to the railway station and city centre.
The facility
includes bus stands for 12 vehicles arranged in a chevron format to allow a
DIRO (drive in, reverse out) method of operation. It is also equipped with
solar panels to power internal lighting and has been designed to be fully
accessible for people with disabilities.
With the Kawneer
curtain walling at its core, the building is highly transparent to provide
maximum visual contact with its surroundings and a calm, airy environment. The
width of the public concourse allows ample circulation space as well as waiting
and eating areas for individual stands.
As well as providing
a dramatic and iconic sculptural form, the roof wing has an aerofoil section
and is punctuated at several points to allow further light penetration to the
concourse and bus stands.
Passenger
information systems, timetable displays, interactive information points, a
manned ticket office and a café, as well as a display of the Roman wall that
was discovered underneath the foundations, also form part of the facilities.
Built on a
brownfield site next to the old bus station, it will serve as a brand-new
gateway to the city, replacing the dilapidated building which had stood largely
unchanged for 50 years.
BDP architect Nick
Fairham said: "The Kawneer systems suited our needs and were within
budget. They help to define the public concourse from the bus stands."
The Kawneer systems
were installed over 15 weeks of a three-year build by a team of six from
approved dealer Aluminium Sashes for main contractor Kier Construction.
Aluminium Sashes'
sales director Andrew Mather said: "The design of the main concourse
curtain walling included 12 automatic doors allowing access to the external bus
bays. These openings gave us an engineering challenge to provide support to the
larger glass units above but we overcame this through collaborative design
workshops with BDP's structural engineers."
City council leader
Cllr Paul James said: "What we have got is a striking building that
provides a statement of our ambitions for the city and sets the tone for the
rest of the (Kings Quarter) development.
"We are very
fortunate to have got Government funding because it would have been very
difficult for us to have made it happen without that support."
At the official
opening [on Friday 26 October 2018] the station received a cavalcade of 15
vintage buses driven from Gloucester Docks across the city.
