Greater Manchester Fire Station Museum, Manchester

Fireground (Greater Manchester Fire Station Museum) occupies the former Rochdale Fire Station, a building dating from 1933 that retains much of its original character. Now operating as an independent charitable trust, it houses an extensive collection of firefighting appliances, equipment and archives spanning over 200 years of fire service history in Greater Manchester. The building’s conversion into an accessible public venue, with exhibition spaces, an education suite and a café, required building services that balanced visitor comfort with sensitivity to the historic fabric of the building.

In a heritage visitor attraction with multiple public entrance points, Air Curtains provide an effective and unobtrusive way to reduce heat loss and maintain a comfortable internal environment without the need for draught lobbies or additional structural modifications. The project initially explored radiant panel heating as part of the broader MEP package, but Air Curtains were ultimately selected as the appropriate solution for the entrance areas, with Central Electrical NW Ltd coordinating the specification with SPC.

All three units are AIRDOR Forcefield ceiling-mounted Air Curtains, 2,000 mm in length, with EC electronically commutated motors and 0-10 V DC fan speed control. Common features across the installation include:

• ECM high-performance, low-carbon electronically commutated motor
• RS3R three-speed rocker switch for remote mounting
• BOX1S white plastic surface-mounting back box
• CCB connection box for remote-mounted switch
• RT1 remote on/off thermostat (supplied loose)
• Textured RAL 9010 white finish (TEXTURED-SWF)
• Mounting height range: 1.8 m to 3.5 m

Each unit is configured to suit its specific entrance:

Primary Museum Entrance — x1 Electric Forcefield Air Curtain

• Heat source: Electric — 12 kW integral heater
• Electrical supply: 415 V / 3 ph / 50 Hz
• Heating output: 12–18 kW
• Additional components: HTCO high-temperature cut-out, LTC low-water temperature cut-out thermostat, BMS1/B/24V BMS interface, 24 V relay for timer control (timer by others)
• Note: timer controls enable/disable only — speed change not controlled by timer

Secondary Museum Entrance and Café Entrance — x2 LTHW Forcefield Air Curtains

• Heat source: Low-pressure hot water (LPHW)
• Electrical supply: 230 V / 1 ph / 50 Hz
• Heating output: 18.3–26 kW
• Design basis: Air on 15°C, water 80/70°C
• Additional components: AF1 washable air filter, ALTC pre-wired adjustable low-water temperature cut-out, BMS1/O/24V building management system interface

The three AIRDOR Forcefield units provide effective thermal separation at all public entrance points, helping maintain a comfortable internal environment throughout the year. The combination of hot water and electric models allowed each entrance to be served by the most appropriate heat source for that location, while the EC motors and BMS integration support efficient, controllable operation across the building.