Natural ventilation for York Street Station’s footbridge, Belfast

Built for Translink by Graham Construction this £17m project, which began in November 2022 and completed in April 2024, comprised of the demolition of the existing building and the construction of a new station building, platform canopies, cycle parking, bus/taxi drop off areas and landscaping, aswell as the new footbridge, which is now open for business.

Nine bespoke Aircool® natural ventilation units, 2639mm high x 600mm wide, and made to a taller height than our standard design, had been supplied to our client and mechanical sub-contractor, Alufix Facades, one of the UK’s leading specialist contractors for commercial glazing systems. The installation of these Aircools means that temperature and CO2 levels can be controlled within the fully glazed footbridge where concerns had been flagged about the space overheating.

Designed by Gregory Architects and working alongside M & E Consultant, Semple & McKillop, the Aircools were integrated within the curtain walling and suited the aesthetics of the rest of the project perfectly.  They were supplied with externally accessed 24V modulating actuators to allow for any maintenance as the steel structure within the footbridge was installed 10mm away from the internal cover grilles and this meant that access from the inside was not possible. The control of these actuators is also carried out via the Building Management System.

For more information about our range of Aircool products visit  Window & Wall Ventilators – Passivent or contact the team on +44 (0)1732 850 770 or projects@passivent.com for support with a natural ventilation strategy for your construction project.