The Library of Birmingham, designed by Dutch architect, Mecanoo, is Europe's largest public library. The 35,000m2 landmark is located in Palazzos Centenary Square, right at the heart of Birmingham. The BREEAM excellent rated building is a multi-award-winning development recognised for its innovative design and positive social impact. Described by its architect Francine Houben as a 'people's palace', the Library of Birmingham is a dynamic and collaborative space that fosters learning, creative arts, and culture.

Built to replace Birmingham's old Central Library, the ten-level structure shares a spacious entrance and foyer with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Thousands of visitors’ flood through its doors each day, with over 2 million visitors reported in the first year following its opening.

CHALLENGE
After opening its doors in 2013, the library struggled with throughput and accessibility due to a higher footfall than initially anticipated. The unforeseen increase in traffic led to overcrowding in the door segments, triggering safety sensors and causing the door to stop rotating. Visitors were understandably frustrated with the door stopping unexpectedly and started to push it around manually. Over time, this impacted the operation of the door, leading to multiple breakdown call-outs and repairs.

The library was also experiencing issues with activation sensors at the main entrance due to its location on one of the busiest streets in Birmingham. Pedestrians passing the front of the building were triggering the activation sensors, causing the door to rotate unnecessarily. This was problematic because the building lost warm air every time someone walked past, creating an unwanted draught in the lobby.

As a result, Boon Edam was approached by the library's facilities management company, AirTech Optimise, to upgrade the revolving doors located on the ground floor and the third-floor terrace.

SOLUTION
Working closely with AirTech Optimise, Boon Edam’s team successfully retrofitted the buildings existing automatic revolving doors. The process involved removing the door wings while retaining the drum wall, installing curved sliding doors, and upgrading the sensors to transform the Tourniket revolving doors into Circleslide curved sliding doors. Not only was this transformation completed on budget and with no disruption to the library’s daily operations, it was also completed and commissioned in less than two weeks.

RESULTS
The Library of Birmingham's transformation from revolving doors to curved sliding doors has revolutionised the visitor experience. With increased throughput capacity and improved accessibility, visitors can enjoy a stress-free entry and exit, even during peak hours.

By providing a tailored retrofit solution, Boon Edam has once again demonstrated its commitment to delivering innovative entrance solutions that elevate the experiences of millions around the world.

Tom Jackson, Senior FM Engineer at AirTech Optimise, commented, From the outset, Boon Edam’s team showcased their knowledge and expertise in retrofitting, helping us to identify a solution that met the library’s requirements for accessibility, user safety and efficiency. Their involvement has been instrumental throughout, and we’re thrilled with the end result. It was a flawless transformation, completed on time and on budget. We would highly recommend Boon Edam for their experience, professionalism, and quality service.”