27/03/2009 | Diamond shaped automatic sliding doors fitted to a car wash. Seeing is believing

Close to Tiefenbrunnen railway station, near Zurich, Switzerland, a disused area once belonging to the Swiss railway company, one of the most unique car washes to be found in Europe has been built.

The car washing facility, boasting a modern and appealing design, features a cosy piano-bar on the upper floor with a private lounge, designed to entertain waiting customers.

The area has a rectangular shape and is squeezed between the railway and a very busy and noisy road.
This makes it undesirable for any other use. Due to its good position, within easy reach by car and well connected to a major road, the area seemed suitable for the installation of a car wash. Starting from this business project, the building shown in this picture was designed and built by Autop, a car wash chain.

The building is located near a shipyard and the lake. The long shape of the ground inspired the abstract “ship” shape design.

This original “ship”, well integrated with the local industrial estate and reminiscent of a car at speed, meets the requirements of the customer, who wanted to give the structure an easily identifiable style.

The ground floor houses a 50 m long washing line.
A sound and fireproof glass wall divides this section from the self-service coffee shop. This see-through section gives a very stunning visual impact with the water spray.

The upper floor features a lounge with a piano-bar, boasting a stunning view of the lake and featuring an outside balcony. The ceiling under the piano-bar area includes walk-on see-through glass panels, giving customers a clear view of the area used to clean the inside of their cars. The bar is also open at night; on Saturdays and Sundays, closing time is extended to the early hours of the morning.

The front walls and the entrance automatic doors

All parts which make up the front of the building have a diamond shape.

The main front wall features five automatic sliding doors which slides parallel to the glass areas, also featuring a diamond shape.

The doors, automated by Ditec Over actuator and installed by local Ditec Expert Katrak, feature a highly complex shape and are made of multilayer insulating glass.

Over is a Ditec automation designed to operate heavy sliding front doors.

The automation has two main technical features: a 24 V motor and an encoder.
The encoder allows travel and decelerations to be controlled, both when starting and stopping, thus avoiding physical and mechanical stresses to the entire structure and ensuring a longer life to the door.
Easy to install, the automation operates quietly thanks to a rubber belt.

These high-tech doors are fitted with overhead suspensions and runners fitted with rollers sliding on the ground.

As all the five doors can be opened, two runners with different sliding directions were required.
The automation also includes a complex electronic control system monitored by photocells, which controls all opening and closing operations and ensures safety to the people using the doors.

The front door glass panes are level with the building front aluminium frame.
Each of the two external side doors also features an emergency exit on the same plane, designed to automatically stop the door if accidentally opened without hindering its movement.

This remarkable and futuristic car washing system combines unusual architectural shapes with unprecedented luxury items.
The shape of the building, the front walls and the innovative techniques which make it possible to automatically operate the diamond shaped wings are sure to give designers and architects very interesting ideas to work from.

1 4 mm diamond shaped, powder painted thick aluminium plate
2 Sika Tack adhesive
3 Aluminium bracket with bayonet connection
4 Front support
5 Threaded adjusting screw
6 Parallel sliding door
7 Runners
8 Multilayer insulating glass for structural bonding