Airbloc vertical air curtain maintains comfort for Audi dealer
Helping to provide a comfortable welcome to the 5-storey West London Audi car dealership on the Great West Road in London (see front cover alongside) is a purpose-designed Airbloc vertical air curtain. It protects doubling sliding doors that provide the only vehicular access to the building; they hinge forward to maximise the available space.
Cars for the showroom display are moved into place using a lift. Customers move around the building via escalators positioned around the lift shaft. Escalators are prone to scooping up and channelling cold-air currents, which then cascade down through the space. The resulting cold draughts make for uncomfortable conditions that are likely to have an adverse effect on the customer experience.
The issue has been resolved with an air curtain from the new ACV architectural range. These units are purposed designed for applications where the aesthetic appearance of the system is as important as functionality and/or space above the door is limited.
ACV units are supplied as standard in polished, mirror-finished and brushed stainless steel with a black intake/outlet grille as standard. However, Audi commissioned a customised finish in silver (RAL 9006) to match the colour of the glazed entrance lobby.
Stuart Godfrey, project manager with Hendry Electrical, which installed the air curtain, said, ‘Cold draughts no longer cascade throughout the entrance area. Conditioned air is effectively sealed in, and with both modulating heat and five fan speeds the unit automatically compares the exterior temperature to that inside the dealership to maintain the required internal set point.’
