On the shores of Lake Geneva lies the Swiss resort town of Montreux, where the railway station, listed as a historically preserved building, has been extensively renovated and modernised in recent years. GEZE is supporting the project by retrofitting state‑of‑the‑art smoke and heat extraction systems as well as window technology, making a significant contribution to the safety of the building and its travellers. Applicable laws and regulations were implemented during the renovation, and custom solutions were found to do justice to the historical character of the building.

Fire protection and safety for the Montreux railway station

The station was opened in 1861. It is a true rarity from an architectural point of view, particularly due to its hillside location: passengers reach the track beside the building from the reception hall via the first floor, while the other tracks can be reached via a subway on the first floor.

Extensive renovation and modernisation work began in 2017. In order to comply with the latest safety and preventive fire protection regulations, the architecture firm Tempesta Tramparulo Architectes from Lausanne relied on GEZE products, which can be easily installed and retrofitted.

In particular, the firm needed to fulfil the high requirements for fire protection and the smoke and heat extraction system (RWA), to ensure the safety of passengers when opening and closing the windows, while at the same time taking into account the historical preservation of the building and associated structural requirements. The project managers opted for proven GEZE systems that work together intelligently. To avoid interrupting the overall design of the building, the products also needed to be produced in special colours specified by the customer.

Numerous windows provide plenty of daylight in the station building. Particularly large windows were fitted with customised GEZE window technology.

Automated windows for natural ventilation and heat extraction systems

The historic Gare de Montreux also impresses with its generous windows, which allow plenty of light into the station building. The Powerchain was installed 42 times on particularly large windows. The powerful window drive ensures that the windows open in the event of a fire. It is particularly impressive due to the speed with which it moves even large and heavy windows with a wide opening width. 

The Powerchain is also a practical choice: it can be used for natural ventilation , and the drive stroke and opening speed for ventilation and in the case of fire offer custom can be individually and continuously adjusted.

Modernising historical preservation in Switzerland

The Gare de Montreux is listed in the "Swiss Inventory of Cultural Assets of National and Regional Importance". It is listed as an A project of national importance (as opposed to B projects of regional importance). However, historical preservation in Switzerland is governed by the respective cantons, which enact their own laws and are not bound by cultural property protection laws. This means there is no generally applicable historical preservation standard in Switzerland. It is therefore imperative that architects and planners research applicable laws. However, the Powerchain was the ideal solution for the Gare de Montreux for more than just its capabilities; aesthetic aspects played an important role here, too. The Powerchain was custom-manufactured in RAL 8014 sepia brown (dark bronze) according to the customer's requirements.

The advantages of the Powerchain at a glance

Window security of the highest protection class 4

Not only the function of the windows, but their positioning as well were particular challenges in the Gare de Montreux. As the automated windows are at a height that passengers can reach, their safety must be guaranteed - these power-operated windows must not be operated in this way without additional protection.
As a building that is open to the public, the windows had to be fitted with window safety systems of the highest protection class (protection class 4) according to the risk assessment, in order to ensure that improper use or carelessness would not lead to injuries.

Calculate the protection class of your power-operated windows with the GEZE safety analysis

The Powerchain from GEZE opens heavy and large windows particularly quickly in the event of a fire.

The solution: Closing edge protection and safety sensors

For this reason, all automated windows have been equipped with a safety module to protect hazardous areas on power-operated windows. The IQ box Safety secures the main and secondary closing edges. Flatscans as safety sensors detect foreign objects and ensure that the closing process is stopped or the movement is reversed. This can prevent fingers from being trapped, for example.  

Fast smoke and heat extraction thanks to NSHEVs

In addition to the Powerchain-Flatscan-IQ box Safety system solution, nine RWA K 600 F opening drives and six K 600 F+ Synchro model drives were also installed in the Gare de Montreux. As a natural smoke and heat extraction system (NSHEV), these retractable arm drives ensure that the windows open 90° in less than 60 seconds in the case of fire and guarantee rapid smoke and heat extraction. This keeps escape and rescue routes smoke-free. Here, too, the customer's request for a special design in the colour RAL 8014 sepia brown (dark bronze) was met.

Easy retrofitting of window technology - even in historically preserved buildings

Retrofitting smart window technology, which can also be integrated into the building management system if desired, is often not very costly and is worthwhile in several respects. It can help to improve safety - as it does here at the Montreux railway station - and can also have a positive impact on other relevant factors such as energy efficiency, sustainability and air quality in a building. It can often be used in historical preservation buildings, without compromising on building renovations. 

Further information on the topic of window safety

The Flatscan safety sensor monitors sensitive hazardous areas and ensures that the movement of the window is stopped or reversed as soon as there is a foreign object in the defined zone.

GEZE Service: Support through every phase of the project

To ensure that everything went according to plan at the Gare de Montreux, our GEZE employees were on hand to support those responsible in all phases of the project. This enabled our project consultant to provide professional support to the team of architects, while the sales team was always available to answer any questions that arose. GEZE Switzerland provided support for functional testing, and was responsible for commissioning the installed products.

The operators were given extensive training so that they could complete all the settings themselves during operation. Regular maintenance of the window technology is necessary to ensure the safety of people and the building and to guarantee its functionality. GEZE offers customised service packages for future maintenance and repairs.