FlexiGlide Sliding Shutters installed at the Extra Service Station in Yorkshire
Published: Thursday 30 July 2020
At the M1 Motorway near Leeds the new Extra Service Motorway Services are now open. We supplied and installed a set of sliding shutters there to secure the various shopfronts in the service station.
Sustainable building techniques
This is a new-style service station where sustainable techniques like green roofs have been used. There is also wildflower planting around the service station, as well as a viewing deck overlooking Skelton Lake and access to the RSPB visitor centre at the nearby St Aidan's nature reserve.
When you look at the outside of the building, one of the most strikig things is the curved lines of the roof. It's almost like a wave-shape. These round shapes continue on the inside of the building, including to the fronts of the shops.
Why sliding shutters were the perfect match
Because of this design, traditional roller shutters wouldn't work. But FlexiGlide shutters can follow any curve and so they were the perfect solution. As a bonus, our sliding shutters also fold away completely when they're not in use, leaving the opening completely clear for shoppers. And they operate without electricity, adding to the sustainability of the project.
The below video shows the interior of the service station and if you look well, at various points you can see our sliding shutters on shops that are still closed. Note how for the shops that are trading, there's not even a hint of any shutters being there. This is because they fold away completely when not in used and are stacked away in custom-built pockets.
Successfull collaboration
This was a very successfull project and we're proud to have worked on such a sustainable building. The head of Pre-Contruction at Morgan Sindall, Richard Harding, expressed his appreciation for all the supply chain partners involved in the project. He said that this was an "Absolutely brilliant project to be involved with [...] with the support of some great supply chain partners, combined with delivering a significant level of social value, ensuring that we leave a lasting legacy for Leeds and West Yorkshire".
More information
For more information, also see our case study on Vision Guard Sliding Shutters at Leeds Skelton Motorway Services.
The drone footage below shows the services from the air when it was near completion. You can see the living roof and the lakes behind the motorway service station.