Atlas Concept Central Control Building

Chemical | Conceptual

This case study examined issues of size and scale. BAW Architecture envisioned how communications would work in a control room of 20,000 square feet that housed 16 consoles in one room. Their solution addressed lines of sight, mitigated acoustic concerns and fostered collaboration. This case study informed future projects decades later.

The defining trait of this case study was the sheer size of the envisioned control room, a massive 20,000 square feet. 20th Century fiber optic technology created the opportunity to bring multiple remote control centers into one central facility. Centers that were historically separated could go now be consolidated into a central control building. This reduces staff and infrastructure costs. Furthermore, greater interdepartmental proximity results in greater synergy, communication and productivity.

The challenge was to fit one hundred control room operators into one room while addressing acoustic and work flow concerns. In this case the area was broken down into 16 consoles for which BAW created a 16-sided floor plan with a 360-degree ringed screen in the center, and screens on the wall of each pod. Removable partitions exist when quiet or privacy is needed. The space is therefore inherently flexible.

Client
Conceptual work done by BAW Architecture
Size
20,000 sf / 1858.1 sm
Market
Chemical
Location
Conceptual
Date
2008 | Design
Services

Safety In Design

Communication improves when people are in proximity to one another. Reaction time is decreased. Historically, the control room is where people go when there is a problem. With this design, they are all already there. Furthermore, the pod and partition design enable isolation of key operators at critical moments, when the utmost focus without distraction is needed to bring the situation back to safety.

Results

This case study demonstrates how technology and inspired design can fuse to inform the next generation of control room spaces, resulting in improved communication and more efficient incident/event management. Bringing everyone together in a connected space also sets in motion change management factors that help the organization evolve the work culture to a desired future state of greater collaboration. Contact us to learn more about what our team can do for you.

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