Swindon Integrated Control Centre
Network Rail
Background
The operations teams for Network Rail and First Great Western had been co-located in Swindon for some years. Previously, we have worked with both companies to improve the existing facilities and develop the operational layouts. This project was initiated to migrate the control centre to a new facility which would provide an improved space and working environment.
Project
The project was to migrate Network Rail and First Great Western Control Room functions onto the second floor of a nearby 1980's office building in Swindon. The control and operation functions were supported by 47 workstation positions supported by a combined Incident/Meeting Room, a dedicated LAN Room and a kitchenette and vending area. The main kitchen and locker room were located on the floor below to maximise the available space for the control room.
Implementation
The furniture layout was developed in a plotboard workshop with the stakeholders and user representatives followed by a full scale mock-up trial in the space itself.
Our team was integrated into the user group and collaborated within the design team. Regular meetings were held with both groups and we ensured all aspects of the design met user needs.
The main design challenge was maximising the ceiling height in a building with a slab to underside of slab height of 3.100mm. The CCD design provided a 220mm raised floor for cable management and an underfloor ventilation system. A "services spine" with a ceiling height of 2400mm was installed along the corridor routes. The ceiling void to the main control room area was designed to the absolute minimum (150mm) sufficient to accommodate individual task lights for the workstations in the form of recessed low voltage downlighters. This approach enabled a general floor to ceiling height of 2730mm to be achieved which was sufficient to allow the installation of suspended direct/indirect light fittings to provide illumination to the ceiling as well as the workstations to provide a light and airy environment.
Outcomes
CCD worked with the project architects and building services engineers to deliver an uplifting working environment that offers a dramatic change from the previous control centre (shown in the last image on left) whilst meeting the operational objectives of the control function.