Brazil’s Edra Equipamentos has developed an eco-friendly ATM booth crafted from environmentally friendly raw materials. Instead of conventional, oil-derived resins, the walls and ceiling of the booth are built from a polymer derived from a combination of recycled plastic, such as PET bottles, and renewable sources, such as oilseed plants. A photovoltaic solar panel on the roof powers the booth’s LED lighting at night, while during the day natural light floods in through a clear “Solatube” system coated with a film from 3M that blocks more than 80 percent of infrared rays to help keep the interior cool.
As part of its Contemporary Bank Project, the company pitted several architects against each other before deciding on the final design for the booth, which took around one year to finish at a cost of just over US$300,000. In addition to sporting a solar panel, the roof can also be fitted with a rainwater collector making it possible to grow plants on a “green roof” that would enhance the booth’s thermal and acoustic properties. There is also the option for other accessories, such as rubbish bins made from natural fibers and architectural details produced with reused glass.
The booth also features an automatic door and access ramp for wheelchair access that, along with its environmental credentials, Jorge Braescher, president of Edra Equipamentos, says helps justify a price that is 20 to 30 percent higher than ATM booths currently in operation in Brazil. The company is currently negotiating with several financial institutions to introduce the booths, which are due to go into large-scale manufacture this month.
Source: Edra Equipamentos
