Discover the full story behind this project by exploring our detailed case study. From the initial concept to the final outcome, learn how we tackled challenges, delivered solutions, and achieved outstanding results.
The existing VTS (Vessel Traffic Service) Control Room furniture was due to be replaced. Thinking Space were tasked with providing new height-adjustable consoles for the unusually shaped space and to house the PC towers and cable management within the consoles’ design.
PD Ports is a major port and logistics company in the UK, operating 11 locations, stretching from Teesport and Hartlepool in the North to the Thames and the Isle of Wight in the South. They offer a range of services including port operations, warehousing, and multimodal transport solutions. As the Statutory Harbour Authority for Teesport and the Port of Hartlepool, they are responsible for overseeing all vessel traffic, river management and channel depth, as well as the designated Harbour Police. This includes a 12-mile stretch of the River Tees and a 3-mile section out into the North Sea.
Thinking Space undertook a site survey of the existing control room and was tasked with providing a design proposal for the control room desks to suit the layout of the room and utilise the space more efficiently, paying attention to the housing of PCs and cable management that the older furniture did not support.
Thinking Space provided a design to meet the restrictions of the space that is reduced in the middle of the room due to a curved office behind the VTS operator control positions. By designing two L-shaped consoles with a shared central storage unit with tambour doors, the operating staff have sufficient space to operate at each of the 2 new consoles that support 10 screens per position. Each position provides actuation, so operators can independently control the height of their worktop at the touch of a button. Thinking Space worked with PD Ports’ technical staff to ensure all PCs were housed in triple PC bays at one end of each of the consoles. The void space and cable basket linked through the storage units, meaning no cables sat outside the console.rnrnThe material finishes chosen by the client, with the Nova Saphir worktops and Speckled Stone panels, create a cool clean look and compliments the view of the River Tees directly outside the window and adjacent to The Transporter Bridge. Operators have provided positive feedback, having now used the consoles for a few months.
