Air curtain overcomes uncomfortable draughts in Glasgow restaurant
The installation of an air curtain at high level about the entrance door to Porter & Rye’s steak restaurant in Glasgow has prevented the influx of cold air whenever the door was opened. The recently opened restaurant occupies the ground floor of an elegant Georgian building on Argyle Street and incorporates a mezzanine floor. It is in an exposed location, with cold air channelled along the street from Kelvin Grove Park directly towards the entrance.
Airbloc, part of Nortek Global HVAC, supplied an air curtain from its AC Chassis range. It is an electrically heated unit and typically reduces heat loss around an open door by up to 80%.
The restaurant’s decor has a natural, rustic look, and the owner wanted an ‘industrial look’ to complement the overall decor, which makes a feature of the exposed stone and ironwork. The air curtain was supplied with an unpainted outlook and grille, creating the aesthetic effect required and ensuring that the flush, adjustable grille was a perfect match for the frameless glass door.
The layout of the steelwork and structure of the doorway meant that the air curtain had to be mounted at high level, and the unit chosen can be mounted at a height of 4 m.
For improved energy management, the air curtain was installed with Airbloc’s SmartElec controller. Incorporating Modbus protocol and digital sensors, the system allows closer control, enabling end users to save 40 to 65% on energy costs.
