Sussex Integrated Control Centre
Network Rail
Background
Network Rail has been delivering a programme of integrating their operations with those of the Train Operating Companies since 2004. This co-location of controls was part of the operations strategy for Network Rail in line with the National Task Force iniative to co-locate controls to bring immediate benefit to operational command and control and to improve the working relationship between functions. The Sussex Integrated Control Centre was bringing together the Network Rail operational team for the Sussex area with those of Southern and First Capital Connect into the second floor of a refurbished 1960s office block in Croydon. It was also integrating the station CCTV operations from Streatham Hill and Hove.
Project
CCD was commissioned to design the facility for the new Control and operation functions and provide space for a combined Incident/Meeting Room, dedicated LAN and Comms Rooms as well as a kitchen/break out area and a locker room.
The client requirements were that the floor should have a control room rather than an office look and that the noise within the occupied space should be effectively controlled to encourage a professional control room working atmosphere. It was also stated that the layout of the control room should effectively support and improve communication and working relationships between functions.
Implementation
Our role within the project was to provide ergonomic and interior design services for the space planning and fit out of the floor as a whole. The CCD team engaged with the operational and management teams at the existing control locations to understand their requirements for the new control centre.
Ergonomic Design:
The furniture layouts were investigated in two plotboard workshops with the stakeholders and the users to determine the optimum layout for the control room. This was followed by a full size mock-up trial on site at which refinements to the layout were made - as an example, the large group of workstations on the plotboard shown below was felt to be too cumbersome and it proved operationally viable to split it into two smaller groups. On-desk technology was also mocked up in card to allow the positions of the equipment to be discussed and agreed.
CCD prepared documentation to allow the workstations to be put out to tender and worked closely with Lund Halsey, the furniture manufacturer consequently appointed. This involved
comprehensive reviews of the manufacturing drawings and the on-site mock up of a typical workstation for final sign-off.
Interior Design:
The existing space had a floor to ceiling height of 2.400mm with a ceiling void of only 300mm. A double row of columns ran down the centre of the space, between these columns is a "services spine" with a lowered ceiling height of 2250mm. These height restrictions precluded the installation of a raised floor system, consequently all power and data cabling had to be routed through the ceiling void, ducted down the sides of columns and then distributed through from one workstation to the next - making cable management a critical element with regard to the design of the workstations. The existing ceiling tiles were replaced with sound absorbing acoustic tiles and new lighting was installed with ceiling mounted task lights mounted above each workstation position.
Outcomes
User Group response when they first saw the space was not good because of the number of columns - it was felt that these would be an impediment to integrating Network Rail and Southern Signal Operations and would restrict communications across the space. In the finished design, the users say that they don't notice the columns and the interaction between the various groups within the space is working well.
Several users also remarked how pleasantly quiet the space was in comparison to some of the other control centres which they had experienced.
Find out more
More information about Network Rail, Southern and First Capital Connect can be found at www.networkrail.co.uk, www.southernrailway.com, and www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk.