New Type Petrol Station

THE 'DEPARTMENT STORE' PETROL STATION

A . petrol station built on the 'department store' pn?clpl.e "":as opened on lSth May, 1971 and is the first of Its kmd m the United Kingdom.

T?e object of building a departmental store type petrol statIOn was to give the motorist the same kind of protection the noise and bustle of the adjacent road that he enJoys as an ordinary shopper when he goes into any main shop in the High Street to make a purchase.

The departmental store construction is achieved through the building of a vast roof over the whole site. As a result, all the 'counters' for the various products and services for motorist beneath the large roof can be reshuffled very qUickly and at reasonable cost at any time, as in a departstore, to cope with changes in demand for particular services.

Shell assembled an international team to work out this idea: It comprised Shell marketing experts from the Umted Kmgdom, Italy, France, Germany, the United States and Japan. They were assisted by a firm of design consultand brief was to plan a type of petrol station that Will be sUitable for all countries and all climatic conditions :-vhere Shell operates, which will be suitable for all motorIsts, yet be capable of any adaptation in its services as marketmg requirements change in the future. The team visited co t· . un nes In Europe North America and the Far East and th I ' h. ' ey evo ved the large roof philosophy, to w Ich the general t f "C erm 0 anopus" has been applied. There are now such t I . . t B pe ro stations 'In the United Kingdom a F rance, one . G In Smethwick, and Worley one in Japan· ,., ' one m Holland, one in Canada, and one m ermany. Others are being built.

Shell is rebuilding 0 b ·ld· petrol stations in the r .UI from new a number of some of these the C currently and on anopus prInciple will be developed. But they will style as used at can be adapted not necess ·1 B an y follow exactly earwood since th I to .. e arge roof the same technique materials. At all of the conditIOns and use different will be one-way to giVm , at Bearwood, the flow of traffic e qUICker service with added safety. Technical Details of the S If e -service Site at Bearwood Pumps There are five tri-grade blende .. 95 and 99 octane, together retaIlmg Shell grades 91, serving one 101 octane. Ith one Super Shell pump

All are Avery Hardoll sw· . mg arm er operation. The selector and th pumps f . or easy custom·d SI e. Th e pumps are set in e echelon nozzle . . are on th e same The pumps have self-close nozzles access for 12 cars. when the tank is full. On each puma off.automatically designed utility cabinet dispensing tlSr a water, paper dipstick wipers, oil in a dispe:si:s , upper cylinder lubricant gun. g bm and Console There is cm Avery Hardoll console, circular in shape, each part of which is within easy reach of the cashier who sits on a swivel chair. The cashier is within a hand's reach of receipts from the ticket printer which shows the amount of fuel purchased and also the pump control panel switches by which the pumps are freed. She also operates a trading stamp machine. In addition, the cashier takes cash for purchases in the motorists' shop.

The use of the ticket printer means that the pump can be freed before the customer has paid and this gives speedier and more efficient service.

Buildings

These are the shop, stores and office building, two toilets for customers, staff room and car wash. The shop consists of two modules, each 16ft. 3ins. square, and the stores consist of two modules, each Sft. 4ins. square. The office building and staff room are each Sft. 4in. square.

The buildings are made of laminated plywood and insulated by a fibre glass quilt. They have rounded corners, an advantage of laminated construction. As all the buildings are constructed on a modular pattern, they can be added to or removed according to the current marketing needs. All are sprayed with a plastic paint giving a completely waterproof plastic cover.

The Kleindeinst coin-operated fully automatic car wash can accommodate one car approximately every three minutes and is fed by a 1,000 gallon water tank.

The shop floor is of timber to deaden noise and has frameless glass-to-glass doors. Both shop and car wash have vaulted roofs for strength.

The metal shelves in the shop are specially designed for motorists' accessories.

The Roof It was built by Vickers Engineering of Southampton using the Triodetic system whereby 2,800 aluminium tubes are slotted into 763 hubs rather like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. This system was invented in Canada. In fact, the Bearwood canopy covers an area of 12,400 sq. and weighs 30 tons. It is supported by four columns and It was hoisted into position by three 3D-ton cranes and one 60-ton crane after it had been completed at ground level. It stands 18ft. above the ground and the framework is clad with rigidal aluminium sheet.

An intensive lighting system is incorporated in the canopy to achieve a standard of illumination at .forecourt level of 50 lumens a square foot. This is achieved by the use of Atlas mercury vapour fittings which are an industrial fitting normally used in factories. Other forms of lighting are located at ground level shining diagonally upwards to illuminate the underside of the canopy.