High exposure to wind
The upper part of the hall needed protection without turning it into a completely enclosed space.
A refurbishment carried out in a particularly demanding setting: right by the sea, with strong winds, salt in the air and a busy working environment where doors and enclosures have to withstand heavy daily use.
This project was never simply a matter of replacing old enclosures with new ones. We first needed to understand how each area was being used and where the real problems were.
The Fishermen's Guild sits right beside the sea. That means moisture, salt, wind and materials exposed to much harsher conditions than they would face in a typical installation.
It is also a working building. People, fish, trolleys and equipment move through it for many hours every day. Doors are constantly opening and closing, and busy access points need proper protection from knocks and impacts.
We tackled each area separately: wind protection at high level, high-speed doors at the main access points, barriers to protect against trolley impacts, new stainless-steel enclosures and internal solar shading.
Not every area had the same problem. These were some of the main points we kept in mind when planning the work.
The upper part of the hall needed protection without turning it into a completely enclosed space.
These entrances are in constant use, so they needed to open and close quickly throughout the working day.
In busy circulation areas, it made sense to protect the doors and structures before they took the impact themselves.
The salt-laden environment meant choosing materials carefully and reducing corrosion-prone components wherever possible.
A material that performs perfectly well elsewhere can start causing problems much sooner when it is exposed to moisture and salt every day.
This was one of the first things we had to consider. Stainless steel was therefore used in several areas, with particular attention paid to protecting the more sensitive components.
The Guild is a working environment. The doors, enclosures and protective elements had to make day-to-day work easier, not get in the way.
These systems are not used just a handful of times a day. There is constant movement, so we needed materials that were hard-wearing and straightforward to maintain.
The aim was to make the facilities more practical and up to date while retaining the character of the Fishermen's Guild and its direct connection with the port.
Every part of the installation has a reason behind it. Here we explain what we fitted and the problem it was intended to solve.
High-level protection
The upper part of the fish auction hall is very exposed to wind coming in from the port. We fitted reinforced windbreak awnings to reduce the amount of wind entering the space.
Because these are large spans, we added intermediate supports to keep the fabric more stable. We used Sauleda acrylic fabric, designed for outdoor use and well suited to an installation that remains exposed to the weather day after day.
This gives the hall better protection without completely closing the openings or losing the open feel of this part of the building.
Automated access
Directly below the awnings, we fitted high-speed doors. This is a busy circulation area, and conventional doors would have slowed down day-to-day work considerably.
The motor allows the doors to open and close quickly, so the access remains open only for as long as necessary. This also helps reduce the amount of time the fish is exposed directly to the sun.
The marine environment was important here too. The structures were made from stainless steel and the control buttons were protected to stop moisture and salt affecting the electrical components.
Impact protection
Trolleys pass very close to the doors, so leaving the sides of the access points unprotected would eventually have resulted in damage.
We fitted protective barriers both inside and outside. The yellow finish is deliberate: it makes them easy to spot while manoeuvring.
The principle is simple. If there is a knock, we want the barrier to take the impact rather than the high-speed door, its motor or the surrounding structure. In an area with this much traffic, that can prevent a lot of unnecessary repairs.
Stainless steel and glass
The old enclosures were made from iron, and being this close to the sea had not been kind to them. We replaced them with new fixed and sliding stainless-steel enclosures.
We used laminated safety glass so that, if a pane is broken, the fragments remain bonded together rather than falling away easily.
We also wanted to retain natural light and visibility between the different working areas. That is why the stainless-steel frames were combined with glazing rather than replacing them with opaque panels.
Indoor comfort
The circular room had a different issue: a lot of direct sunlight entered the space and, depending on the time of day, it could become uncomfortable.
We fitted blinds using Soltis 96 fabric. It filters direct solar radiation while still allowing daylight into the room and retaining a degree of visibility outside.
That meant there was no need to darken the room completely just to control the sun. The blinds were also adapted to the unusual geometry of the space.
In a professional installation like this, some things matter more than appearances: corrosion, impacts, constant use and making sure everything remains practical to clean, inspect and maintain.
Materials and components were selected from the outset with the moisture and salt around the port in mind.
Doors and access points were chosen for a working environment with constant opening, closing and movement.
Protective barriers, laminated glass and protected components help reduce damage in the areas most exposed to knocks and wear.
We did not want to fit something that worked perfectly on day one but became awkward to clean, inspect or maintain afterwards.
The different improvements gave the access points better protection, replaced the enclosures that were suffering most from the marine environment and reduced some of the everyday risks in the busiest circulation areas.
This project was never about one single product. What mattered was choosing the right system for each particular area of the Fishermen's Guild.
Here you can see different parts of the Fishermen's Guild, including details of the systems installed and the completed work.
Tell us what you need and what problem you are trying to solve. We can go through the options with you before deciding which system makes the most sense for the space.
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