Air Traffic Control Tower for N.A.T.S.

Operators: 5
Product(s): Alaris

The Challenge

The Client, National Air Traffic Services, came to Evans to help it in its construction of a brand new tower that was being built at Edinburgh International Airport, near Scotland`s capital, to cope with their projected traffic growth.

The tower was both very tall and architecturally stunning and the Client wanted consoles that would reflect both this impressive overall aesthetic appearance as well as requiring a highly ergonomic design for its controllers.

Most importantly, the key challenge was that with the sheer height of the tower, the consoles had to be designed to provide both flexibility and the best possible sight lines to the runway and ramps outside.

In addition, the console layout and day-to-day functionality needed to enable good communication between controllers inside the tower.

The Evans Solution

With clear sightlines and ergonomic functionality being paramount, the Evans team had quite a challenge. Meeting difficult sight-line requirements from a seated position led Evans to design the thinnest section Alaris console that we could commensurate while still meeting modern human factors requirements for leg room, arm reach and flexibility.

This efficient layout positioned the consoles as close to the tower windows as practical and still ensured all custom equipment requirements could be conveniently accommodated inside each console.

The consoles were also designed with a continuous slat wall so that both the flat screens and the turrets containing most of the instruments could easily be placed and moved wherever was necessary to optimize controller efficiency and flexibility.

Since its completion, it is all these custom design and layout elements that have ensured the client, NATS, has been delighted with the overall Evans solution. But even more importantly, it is the air traffic controllers, who have been working with the consoles day-in and day-out, who are most pleased with their new functional environment.

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