Air Movement, Commercial Equipment

Berner Provides HVAC Designers Another Beautiful Air Curtain for Main Entrances

July 16, 2022

Berner International, New Castle, Pa., North America’s leading air curtain manufacturer and innovator, added the Architectural Contour Air Curtain Series to its Architectural Collection, giving specifiers another beautiful, technologically advanced design for protecting commercial building main entrances when the door is open.

The Architectural Contour 8 and 10 models feature the HVAC industry’s quietest operation from a high-performance air curtain.             The design targets healthcare, hotels, retail, restaurants, and other applications where thermal comfort, front entrance doorway aesthetics, and energy savings are critical.

Its patented, unprecedented aesthetic is Berner’s second departure from the industry’s decades-old rectangular box shapes after recently introducing the Architectural Elite. Featuring a sleek, discreetly contoured cabinet constructed of anodized aluminum, the Architectural Contour complements 21st Century anodized aluminum doorways and metal architecture.

The Architectural Contour 8 and 10 feature low profiles of 8-1/4 H x 20-inch D (20.9 x 50.8-cm) and 12-3/4 H x 25-3/4 D (30.3 x 60.4-cm) without sacrificing performance for protecting up to 8 and 10-foot-high (2.4 and 3.0-meter) doorway heights, respectively. Both models (including heating options) are certified under AMCA-220, which qualifies them for the new construction cost-saving vestibule exception now included in building and energy codes, ASHRAE 90.1-2019; the IECC -2015; and the IgCC.

The Architectural Contour equals the aesthetics of the Architectural Collection’s full-featured, Golden Ratio-inspired Architectural Elite air curtain, but offers an economical alternative. Specifiers can add the Elite’s standard features as à la carte options to the Contour, such as electronically commutated (EC) motors or the Berner AIR smart controller and app. When combined with the Collection’s entry level Architectural Low Profile 8 and High Performance 10 models, the Contour and Elite offer building owners a diverse “good, better, best” selection, respectively.

All air curtains in the Architectural Collection use Berner’s industry-leading, factory-installed Intelliswitch digital controller platform. The Intelliswitch features pre-set programs, a time clock, time delay, built-in thermostat, 10-speed fan control, and other integrated, end-user customizable features. The optional Berner AIR smart controller and app can be added to the platform, allowing operation and monitoring from a smartphone. The Berner AIR includes true BACnet integration and a proactive adaptive setting based on the weather. The optional Berner AIR must be ordered with the air curtain.

Heating options include hot water or electric coils. A thermostatic probe monitors the coils and reports the temperature to the Intelliswitch. Also available is Berner’s proprietary Venturi electric heater option that heats supply air from a unique blower intake setup versus the industry standard of positioning electric coils in the airstream, making the air flow less efficient.

Both the Contour and Elite models are the industry’s quietest high performance air curtains. These patented designs combine innovative out-of-sight top intake panels; Berner’s patented high efficiency, low noise, articulating Pro-V Nozzle; and quiet-running 1/5th-HP AC or EC motor choices. Depending on the selected motor and speed, typical operating noise is 49 to 55-dB, which is similar to a coffee percolator or quieter than normal conversation.

Other Architectural Contour features are:

  • Designed, manufactured, assembled and factory-tested in U.S.A.;
  • Available in most voltages;
  • Five-year warranty on ambient, two-year warranty on heated models;
  • UL/cUL-listing and AMCA 220 certification;
  • Top and wall mounting hardware is included. Glass transom mounting hardware is available.
  • Hot water coils are tested to 450-psi;
  • Architectural Contour 8 (AC08) and Architectural Contour 10 (AC10) come in installation cost-saving single length construction up to 10 and 12 feet (3 and 3.6-meters), respectively.
  • The RoHS compliant Intelliswitch Gen 4 is discreetly placed as part of a design feature along the nozzle of the air curtain, and easily accessible with a step stool or ladder for direct programming, and/or initial pairing with the Berner AIR app;
  • All Berner air curtains are simple to install, operate, and maintain;
  • Washable aluminum filters are removable and cleanable in less than five minutes.
  • Sustainability and ESG commitments – The Architectural Collection air curtains are included in Berner’s Energy Savings Calculator, which includes a GHG emissions reduction estimate.

For more information on Berner International air curtain products, please call 724-658-3551, visit https://bit.ly/ArchContourPressRelease; or email: sales@berner.com.

About Berner 

Berner International LLC is a 65-year-old U.S. manufacturer and a leader in the air door/air curtain equipment engineering and manufacturing industry. Berner is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), The Green Building Alliance (GBA), the Air Movement & Control Association (AMCA), and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). For more information on Berner and its products, please call (724)-658-3551 or visit www.berner.com