The wide scale regeneration of Liverpool in preparation for becoming European Capital of Culture has now included the construction of a new multi-million pound Bus Interchange, created by Grasvenor's Paradise Project for Liverpool One which feature a venery of products from GEZE.

  The new Interchange, designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, forms the gateway to the $900 million Liverpool One development, a unique combination of shopping, residential and leisure facilities over 42 acres in the heart of the city Home to ten bus stops, each designed to take up to 20 departures every hour, the Interchange needed to be visually striking and welcoming and was designed around concepts of safety and accessibility.

   As part of the simple, transparent design, and in order to allow the Interchange to be both functional and safe, GEZE supplied up to three sets of DDA compliant Slimdrive SL bi-parting automatic door operators far each of the ten bus stops. These control systems have been specifically designed to open at the same time to allow passengers to access all three doors on 1he modern 'bandy' buses simultaneously.This unusual type of access has been specially tailored to allow Paradise Street Interchange to have complete flexibility over its operation .The slim, 7cm deep door drives are cleverly concealed beneath special weatherproof cladding, fitting discreetly into the bus stops and complementing the dean lines of the structure.

   Meanwhile, in order to protect passengers fully, pocket screens have been used to provide an extra barrier between people and the automatic doors at the bus stops, preventing them from trapping their fingers between the sliding doors, whilst still allowing access for cleaning and maintenance.

   To enhance functionality, GEZE also supplied induction loop activators, which activate the doors at each bay to open only once a bus has parked into position.This means passengers cannel leave the safety of the bus stop until the bus is ready to board.

   GEZE's UK specification manager, Paul Wyatt, said: "We're delighted to be involved in such a prestigious project. It is another example of how the GEZE Slimdrive SL combines aestbetlcs with fundionality.

   "As well as supplying products for the interchange, we also will be a pad of other project on this development ,demonstrating GEZE's flexibility in supplying a number of different solutions for a wide range of situations. "