BUILDING CONTROLS Trox gets eco-friendly INSTALLATION NEWS Better
handovers mean better buildings By Ian Ellis President of the
Building Controls Industry Association
P
art L has been an important influence on thinking about energy use in buildings. The next
iteration of the legislation is now here, and it continues to set more stringent targets for the reduction of CO2 emissions from buildings by cutting energy use.
One of the most important changes for Part L 2010 has been the increasing emphasis on ensuring that the building operates as it was designed to. This is a significant step, because one of the main criticisms of Part L 2006 was a lack of enforcement, so a building that looked good at the design stage may very well not achieve that energy performance in real life.
Keeping control of energy is therefore going to be very important for operators and owners. Making claims for a building’s sustainability just as it is first occupied is one thing – the question is how will it perform in 12 or 24 months? And that is the responsibility of the people in the building.
Part L 2010 continues to raise the importance of good handover practices, including commissioning and log books. Although the commissioning is largely targeted at the function of fixed building services systems such as hot water, it is useful to include the building controls in any commissioning plan.
Depending on the type of controls system installed, it is possible that they control almost all of the HVAC plant including heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water, and lighting. In a modern building there are very few items of building services that are not part of a building management system.
The building log book is also important for long-term energy efficient operation. As Part L states: “The owner of the building should be provided with sufficient information about the building, the fixed building services and their maintenance requirements so that the building can be operated in such a manner as to use no more fuel and power than is reasonable in the circumstances.”
There can be no doubt, reading this, that the building controls should be clearly understood by the building operator. Unfortunately, commissioning time is often cut to a minimum so handover is squeezed into a small amount of time. This does not leave much time to educate users about the best way to use controls to maximise the benefits. The BCIA hopes that with a greater emphasis on commissioning this will allow our industry more time to ensure that users can take advantage of the benefits of building controls – and save themselves a lot of energy and money in the long run.
Trox active multi-service chilled beams with architect-inspired design elements, and a host of special features for energy efficiency and occupier comfort, have been installed in one the greenest commercial buildings in Wales. Located in the prestigious Cardiff Waterfront development, 3 Assembly Square, Cardiff Waterside is a six storey (66,250 sq ft) flagship office building adjacent to the National Assembly for Wales’ Senydd building. It has been designed for outstanding environmental performance, with a biomass boiler, enhanced insulation and rainwater harvesting just some of the factors that contributed to the building achieving a BREEAM (2006) rating of ‘excellent’, with a score of 75.52, six months ahead of completion.
The need for outstanding energy efficiency was one of the influences on the design of the multi-service chilled beams. A lighting management system, including PIR sensors, is incorporated into the chilled beams to optimise energy consumption by adjusting lighting in line with room occupancy and levels of natural sunlight.
Comfort of occupants is also paramount, with state-of-the-art heating and cooling technology delivered via the active chilled beams, and the incorporation of prismatic lenses for more accurate control of light distribution. The chilled beams also incorporate protection devices including smoke detectors and emergency lighting. The Trox DID600 multi-service chilled beams deliver all of these building services from compact stylish ceiling mounted units. To enhance the architectural intentions for the space, the chilled beams are manufactured with specially-designed sidepanels developed in collaboration with Trox Design Bureau. The resulting T shape beams, and black perforated sidepanels, give the impression that the beams are floating in space.
During development, the project team was able to see the aesthetic impact of the beam, and analyse aspects of its technical
performance, at Trox’s test laboratory. The incorporation of so many building services in a single off-site constructed fitting, streamlined the final construction phase of this prestigious project.
Lincoln campus takes control
BG Controls has been awarded a five year service and maintenance contract with the University of Lincoln which includes installing and commissioning an integrated heating and access control system on buildings located throughout the city centre Brayford Pool campus and on some of the University’s satellite sites across the county. Using BACnet open protocol technology, BG Controls has enabled numerous competing product ranges across all the disparate buildings to interface to one central front end that can be accessed remotely by the Facilities Manager. BG also remotely monitors the system on a daily basis to diagnose and rectify any potential faults and alleviate responsibility from the on-site facilities management team. The technology automates innovative air source heat pumps, which heat and cool the interiors of Sparkhouse Studios - the University’s start-up business facility, as well as the newly expanded Human Performance Centre. A new access control system has also been installed in the Lincoln Performing Arts Centre – the University’s performance and conference venue. BG is currently in the process of extending this access system to the new Business & Law faculty building. The building controls specialist specified cost-effective Mifare cards and readers for both facilities, enabling access privileges to authorised students and staff.
“Integration of the building services and access control systems onto one central platform allows us a better degree of manageability across all the campuses,” says Facilities Manager, Kevin Forth. “The remote monitoring and ongoing service and maintenance provision also provides us with the reassurance that all the buildings are performing efficiently at all times.”
A cool innings from Samsung
Hampshire Cricket has gone to the top of the championship for energy savings with Samsung air conditioning systems installed at its home ground, Rose Bowl in Southampton. The Samsung line-up includes high efficiency DVM Plus III (VRF) heat recovery systems, energy recovery ventilators, and cassette-type split systems from Samsung’s CAC range. The Rose Bowl has been Hampshire Cricket’s home since 2001, and has become renowned as an international sporting and entertainment venue. It was recently developed with two new stands being built, increasing the ground’s maximum capacity to 25,000 and is currently being developed further in a programme involving expansion of the adjoining nine hole golf course into an 18 hole championship course, and the creation of a 175-bedroom four-star hotel. The additional facilities will make Rose Bowl the first model Test Match ground in the UK.
The Samsung solution was selected by Martin Zealey from distributor DYSK Air Conditioning, of Harpenden and Leeds, and jointly specified with the installation contractor, Principal Cooling Limited of Dungannon, Northern Ireland. Samsung’s DVM Plus III incorporate advanced technology to guarantee excellent performance, with long pipe runs and high connectability. For the 300sq m Shane Warne Suite, Principal Cooling installed two 46kW DVM Plus III HR (heat recovery) outdoor unit combinations, connected to 10 cassettes and four ducted units. The three pipe heat recovery system allows simultaneous cooling and heating, using free heat from one side of the suite to warm the cooler side. In addition, three energy recovery ventilators ensure a fresh air inflow of 2,300m3
an hour, with the incoming air pre-warmed or pre-cooled by the exhaust
air, depending on the indoor/outdoor temperature gradient. Each of the five private boxes has a split system from Samsung’s CAC range, with either a cassette or a high wall-mounted indoor unit. All the systems permit local control, and are linked through a Lonworks interface to a central building management system. Principal Cooling’s Contract Manager Nigel Treanor says installation went very smoothly: “The Samsung systems are very easy to assemble and commission and they come with plenty of information to help the installer. As a result, there were no problems so there was no need for trouble shooting.” DYSK’s Martin Zeal says: “The Rose Bowl management team wanted a respected-brand system that represented the best value for
money, so we had no hesitation in recommending Samsung. In addition to its outstanding value at the time of purchase, the Samsung DVM is extremely economical in operation in both heating and cooling mode. With the benefits of the heat recovery facility and the use of energy recovery ventilators, the club will be top of the league of energy savings throughout future cricket seasons – and on days when the premises are used for other purposes.”
12 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER NOVEMBER 2010 VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
www.bsee.co.uk
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