Brompton Bicycles Case Study

Projects

It’s hard to find someone who hasn’t heard of Brompton Bikes. The iconic folding bicycles have been a mainstay of compact bikes for almost half a century. Named after the Brompton Oratory in London, Brompton is the culmination of Andrew Ritchie’s belief that a folding bike should be compact, quick to unfold, and just as capable as the best regular bike. Today, Brompton is the largest bicycle manufacturer in the UK, with all production based entirely in London and Sheffield – from the earliest 3D-models to brazing and finishing.

 

 

All Brompton bikes hand-assembled using processes such as welding and brazing, which generate a lot of heat. As a result, without adequate ventilation, the heat accumulates and the room can quickly become uncomfortably warm and stuffy, impacting worker morale and productivity. To improve air circulation at Brompton’s Greenford site, Prihoda was asked to design a fabric diffuser system that could bring much-needed fresh air into the production lines.

The production area is in a large factory building with high ceilings to accommodate the warehouse space located at the back of the main area. With such a large internal volume, the building requires considerable amounts of air to create enough air movement and circulation.

 

Prihoda designed an extensive fabric duct system to meet the above requirements. Each production line was fitted with a fabric duct to bring the conditioned air from the evaporative coolers – supplied by Colt International – to the immediate production environment. The ducts were suspended from the high ceilings but located relatively low and close to the occupied zone, ensuring the air could be delivered exactly where it was needed. A mixture of laser-cut perforations and microperforations gently directed the air into the occupied zone without generating unwanted draughts that could disturb the production processes or cause occupant discomfort.

We also fitted all the fabric ducts with internal aluminium rings to keep their round shape in low or no flow conditions. Brompton Bikes opted to have their logo printed onto the fabric material, using our Prihoda Art service.

In total, we designed and supplied almost 100 metres of fabric ducting for this project, split into four separate duct systems designed to perfectly cover each area. Despite the large air volumes, the ducts deliver the air efficiently in an optimal air pattern without interfering with production processes. They have transformed what was a warm space with little air movement into a much fresher and more pleasant environment.

The logo and graphics, printed in white on the black ducts, bring a little playful individuality to the design, and we think it looks great.