Envirotec has supplied and installed 20 bespoke air curtains at Westfield London Shopping Centre, addressing Westfield’s requirements for a visually attractive, high performance design that would also support the centre’s commitment to sustainability.
Westfield London represents a new generation of shopping and leisure destinations that exceeded 20 million visitors in its first year. Sustainability was a high priority for the £1.7bn project and the design team was able to achieve a 24% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, compared to the original design.
The initial specification called for standard recessed low pressure hot water air curtains with standard controls. However, close liaison between Envirotec and architects Buchan Group International led to a change of strategy and a desire to make a visual feature of the air curtains that would complement the architectural form of the building. Energy efficiency, ease of installation and straightforward access for maintenance were also considered essential criteria.
Several designs were considered in conjunction with the Buchan Group International design. The final design produced an elliptical unit casing which echoes the curvaceous nature of the interior architecture. Each casing is 2000mm long, 900mm wide and 500mm high and are mounted at a height of 3m above the finished floor level. To deliver maximum energy efficiency, each unit has been fitted with a separate control valve. A bespoke control strategy, using Envirotec’s innovative Enetec controller, provides millisecond analysis of external and internal conditions. This enables precise control of fan and heaters to maintain a temperature of 21°C with minimum energy consumption.
Installation was carried out by Envirotec’s site services team, which worked closely with the contractors and architects as the door design changed as the project brief developed. Envirotec designed and manufactured bespoke brackets to suit the building’s steelwork and managed the timing of deliveries and co-ordination with other trades. Much of the installation work was performed out-of-hours to minimise disruption to on site trades and to ensure on-time delivery during the critical final stages of construction.
