In order to optimise access to Waitrose’s new flagship store in Chester, GEZE UK has supplied its automatic doors for installation.
Entrances to supermarkets must be functional, to allow multiple shoppers to enter and exit the building simultaneously. They must also be aesthetically appropriate and complementary to the overall design of the building.
Waitrose’s new Chester store benefits from a bespoke curtain wall system, developed by Glassolutions, that creates the illusion of a floating glass façade. The store’s exterior features large expanses of glass with bronze cladding, to reflect the heritage of its Business Quarter location.
The building has been designed as environmentally-friendly: whilst the glass reduces the need for artificial lighting by encouraging natural light into the store, its bronze fins work to provide solar shading from direct sunlight.
Improving access with automatic doors
GEZE UK was contracted to provide an integrated entrance solution to complement the look of the building. The company specified six sets of its glass sliding doors, which have been positioned on the upper and lower floors of the store. Whilst improving access, the doors also work to enhance the building’s sustainability through the creation of two atriums.
The store’s main entrances feature a pair of bi-parting automatic sliding glass doors, which are powered and operated by GEZE’s Slimdrive SL NT drives. With a height of 7cm, the SL NT operators are almost invisible in operation, making them suitable for use with contemporary glass façades.
On the second floor of the building, Waitrose’s café terrace is accessed via a glass door with a bronze frame. The entrance is powered by a Slimdrive EMD-F electromechanical swing door operator, which offers assisted manual or automatic opening; it guarantees consistent opening and closing speed.
Three storeroom doors have also been automated for the benefit of staff moving stock. They have been fitted with GEZE’s TSA 60 NT automatic swing door operators, which are hydraulic and electronically controlled. The system has been designed for use with heavy doors in high traffic areas.
