EFAFLEX Involved In Croydon Car Park Rejuvenation Project

A complete facelift to a 1960’s Croydon concrete car park involving EFAFLEX’s high-speed doors recently resulted in two prestigious awards.

The judges for the British Parking Award stated ‘The Ruskin Square project is an example of how a car park can be reinvented rather than just refurbished;’ a compliment indeed to architects Potter Church & Holmes Architects who along with lead contractor Lendlease completed the £4.2m overhaul on behalf of client Croydon Gateway Partnership.

Darren Turrell, Managing Director EFAFLEX UK helps with the detail, ‘We were delighted to be a supplier on this project. The brief for the Ruskin Square was extremely clear; to breathe life, light and improve the functionality of this tired concrete frame building. Major improvements were needed regarding accessibility, safety and ensuring it not only met modern standards but was future proofed too.’

The traditional layout and function of car parks is changing as advances in automotive technology, life styles and shopping habits alter. Self-parking and electric cars are becoming increasingly popular, while safety of drivers and pedestrians remains paramount. Turrell went on, ‘Increasingly as high-speed door designers and manufacturers we are being approached by building management and facilities companies as our product becomes more widely known. We’ve installed our car park specific high- speed performance doors at hotels, shopping malls, airports and commercial buildings.’

The EFAFLEX PS range is uniquely fast, secure and reliable. It uses a space saving design and spiral door blade to reduce wear on parts and minimise operational noise; an added bonus in residential areas or where the car park entrance needs to function throughout the night.

With the help of EFAFLEX this previous crime hotspot is now secured at ground floor level. Adjacent to East Croydon main railway station, Ruskin Square car park is arranged over 12 intermediate levels to accommodate 565-car parking bays. It features two DDA complaint lifts, and a bespoke wayfinding solution.Bolder super graphics throughout, improved signage and low energy LED
ambient lux lighting fittings were all incorporated into the design for an improved user experience.


Outside, the aesthetics of the building were an important consideration as unsightly metal panels and timber barriers were replaced with a Berry system vision mesh and buffer to provide full impact collision. Steven David Jones, Architect at Potter Church & Holmes Architects summed up, ‘As the architects on this project, our mission was to turn this car park that struggled in terms of design
and functionality, into a facility of the future. EFAFLEX’s high-speed car parking doors, not only had the aesthetic appeal we wanted to create, but the functionality, high-speed opening and quality precision engineering all matched our requirements perfectly. Winning the BPA Award as well as a regional RCIS award was a privilege and a result which could only be achieved with a great team effort.’

Ruskin Square MSCP was completed in January 2017 as part of a wider Ruskin Square development.

About EFAFLEX

Established in Germany in 1974, EFAFLEX is a privately owned business employing over 1,200 staff. EFAFLEX is the only company worldwide to focus exclusively on high-speed doors. Today the company offers unchallenged technological innovation and design, Head Quartered in Bavaria and with a sales network across 50 countries and all 5 continents. Its ethos is to continually assess the needs of their users and produce exceptional class leading products that deliver unparalleled cost and safety benefits.