Norwich Provisions Market                             PDF  (147 KB)

The Norwich Provision Market dates from the 11th century, and is the largest open-air market in England, with over 200 stalls.

In the course of the refurbishment of the market, the City Council decided to preserve the open character of the market whilst at the same time improving the comfort of shoppers.

Colt was contracted to provide a system of motorised polycarbonate canopies to open in fair weather and close in inclement weather, complete with a Colt ICS 4-Link control system.

Each canopy measures 8.4m in length x 1.2 m in width and comprises two independent but mechanically linked sections, each moved by an electric actuator. Each canopy was sub-assembled at Colt's factory and moved to site for final assembly.

In order to provide maximum protection from the elements, the control system varies the position of the canopies in response to the weather. It is linked to a weather station comprising ambient temperature sensor, rain sensor and wind speed sensor, and moves the canopies to pre-programmed set points.

Additionally since all canopies are installed opposite to each other and overlap with each other, a specific control strategy has been applied to ensure safe operation with regard to the automatic and cleaning modes to ensure the avoidance of collisions during operation.