Sparks Electrical News June 2019

INDUSTRY 4.0

17

DRILLING DEEPER INTO ESSENTIAL BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

A s the demand for the automation of se- curity and other systems in buildings and large construction sites around the world grows, so we are seeing a significant and related increase in the demand for building management systems (BMS). Recent technological advancements in the build- ing and construction industry, as well as the growing use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in building automation systems, added to increasing demand for energy-efficient systems and the growing pen- etration of smartphones in building automation, are all playing a role in fuelling the growth of the BMS industry across the globe. So says Glenn Noome, director at Smart Integra- tion, an Ulwembu Business Services organisation, which is itself a South African black-owned man- agement consulting and ICT services company. He explains, “A recent survey by Radiant Insights, ‘Global Building Management System Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025’, stated that there are several additional factors influencing the ongoing BMS market growth. “These include cost efficiencies, the increasing adoption of building management systems within both the commercial and residential spaces, sim- plified building operations, and lower maintenance. Furthermore, favourable government initiatives and

tive building management,” he says. Fire protection: Fire prevention, detection and suppression is a must in any populated environ- ment. Fire protection systems must be designed, tested and inspected according to the applicable regulations, codes and standards to ensure safe working and operational conditions even in harsh environments. “Building management systems are installed with the aim of creating secure, reliable buildings by giv- ing access to the control and monitoring of activi- ties such as ventilation, lighting, power control, data and fibre installation, data centre management and control, fire and security systems, lifts, plumbing sys- tems and so on,” says Noome. “The greatest advantages of BMS include efficient management and controlling of energy consump- tion, central and remote monitoring of the build- ing, facilitating the safety and security of data, the stimulation of internal comfort conditions for the occupants of a building, and facilitating a longer life span for the building in general. At Smart Integra- tion, we note the recent technological advances in the building and construction industry and anticipate a growth in the BMS arena moving forward,” con- cludes Noome.

age their utility (water and energy) consumption for two reasons,” explains Noome, “and these are to re- duce costs, and to support their corporate sustain- ability and environmental responsibility initiatives. These boxes can easily be checked by utilising smart water and electricity meters, alternate energy solu- tions, controlled lighting systems - and even blind control to minimise heat from the sun in the office or working environment.” Security, access control, lighting and CCTV: “For local businesses, security is obviously a top prior- ity. A CCTV surveillance system can deter, monitor and record activities within the premises that may include theft, intrusion and harm to persons. The system is able to raise early alerts to enable the cor- rect response. In addition, footage can be used in criminal cases that may result from these activities, and used to identify the perpetrators.” Monitor and control centre: Noome clarifies that remote monitoring and reporting capabilities should be used to support the centralised manage- ment and control of the building and the related activities within the physical environment. “Data gathered and analysed can provide useful infor- mation for clients to identify trends, reduce false alarms, monitor and manage consumption of en- ergy and water, and make prudent management decisions that support optimal security and effec-

schemes to promote energy-efficient and eco- friendly buildings are expected to offer numerous growth opportunities for industry players and ven- dors across the globe, says the study. “In South Africa in particular, the recent resur- gence of load shedding has meant that both com- panies and individuals are more focused on energy efficiency than ever before. Thus there is a growing demand for a method of managing heating, ventila- tion, and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting sys- tems in particular – due to their power hungry na- ture - more effectively, and BMS can offer just this.” A significant focus area for Smart Integration, the organisation has drilled down into the holistic re- quirements of BMS, outlining five vital areas, namely: data and fibre installations; utility solutions; security, access control, lighting and CCTV; monitor and con- trol centre; and fire protection. Data and fibre installations: Data and fibre instal- lations are the cornerstone of BMS, says Noome. “The IP-based network forms the base infrastruc- ture for most other BMS subsystems,” explains Noome. “These include CCTV, access and lighting control, telephone and alarm systems, as well as boardroom solutions, which are all IP-based sys- tems that need to run on a stable, cabled backbone such as fibre or copper.” Utility solutions: “Companies minimise and man-

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UNDERSTANDING KNK WITH MATTHEW CARTER

CASE STUDY: KNX PROMOTES RECOVERY AND ENERGY SAVING

‘’As the workplace continues to evolve, becoming more digital and technology-driven in nature, it’s critical for young men and women to develop and hone those foundational skills,’’ said Sanda Ojiambo, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Safaricom Foundation. ‘’CloudFactory and Safaricom Foundation will help young people in Kenya build important digital aptitudes and experience, setting them up to be successful as they seek out jobs and begin to enter a competitive global job market.’’ In addition to launching its new learning initiative in Kenya, CloudFactory is expanding its operations to Mombasa. As CloudFactory’s presence in Kenya has continued to grow since opening its Nairobi office in 2013, the company has generated meaningful work for around 3000 people in the region. Founded in Nepal in 2010, CloudFactory has generated meaningful work for over 12 000 people globally with wages totalling more than $8 million. ‘’There’s an ever-increasing demand for skilled workers in today’s digital job market, and Kenya is brimming with talented people,’’ said Mark Sears, founder and CEO, CloudFactory. ‘’By advancing our mission in the region, we are extending our investment in the people of Kenya – providing meaningful work opportunities that uniquely align with the needs of the tech-forward companies we work with around the world.’’ The solution Intecho developed the bio-dynamic lighting profile and logic program using IPAS components. The result is that the medical teams can either allow the automated tunable white and room temperature to follow the pre-set 24-hour cycle, or allow individual patients to make adjustments locally via a touchscreen. The simple user interface in each room is provided by a JUNG touchscreen which also enables full control of the fan coil (for HVAC) and ‘standard’ non-biodynamic lighting. In T he Defence National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) is a newly-constructed GBP300 million world-class medical facility that is located centrally on the Stanford Hall Estate, close to Loughborough, UK. Operated by the Ministry of Defence, the facility provides cutting-edge treatments to injured members of the armed forces for complex injuries, brain damage, musculoskeletal and spinal injury. Construction of the DNRC started in July 2015 and the facility opened in 2018. The client was BS Stanford Ltd, the main contractor was Interserve Ltd and the M&E contractor was SES Engineering Services Ltd. The brief The designers specified a bio-dynamic lighting system for each of the 124 patient bedrooms. The aim was not only to save energy, but also to provide a way of influ- encing patients’ circadian rhythms in order to improve well-being and aid recovery. Intecho Ltd was approached by SES Engineering Services as a partner, to provide this key electrical component, using DALI tuneable white LEDs. Our original brief was quickly expanded to provide control of the fan coils, DALI lighting, C0 2 monitoring and windows throughout the vast estate, covering hundreds of areas within a multitude of buildings. Construction of the DNRC started in July 2015, and the facility opened in 2018.

Thanks to KNX control, lighting is altered continuously throughout the day and night to provide the correct colour temperature in patients’ bedrooms.

as a company, and KNX could offer in order to better in- tegrate services and avoid numerous standalone controls. • Open protocol – the ability of our design team to select prod- ucts best suited for the task without being constrained to a single manufacturer’s product basket benefits all, in particular the DNRC facility, which now has a system that can rely on ongoing product support from over 470 manufacturers. Recognition This project won Intecho the KNX UK Commercial Installer of the Year 2019 award. According to one of the judges, Julian Barkes, Director of Bemco Electrical Wholesaler and KNX UK Board Member, “Intecho’s award-winning project for the De- fence National Rehabilitation Centre was a standout this year. Using KNX, Intecho has provided unsurpassed energy saving efficiencies for the centre and crucially, enabled a life-changing environment for the heroes and veterans who use the facility. The accomplishment of this project is testament to Ben and Paul’s technical experience, imagination and perseverance. They have raised the bar for KNX applications in the UK and deservedly for themselves.” Conclusion The KNX colour temperature solutions in patient bedrooms pro- vide numerous health benefits, whilst allowing medical staff to complete rounds without disrupting patients’ sleep. Meanwhile, the wider KNX control of the huge sprawling site and the numer- ous buildings additionally offers significant energy savings and gives the facility management team an engineering platform for control and feedback of vital services. The BMS front end allows the onsite engineering team to monitor and control all of the KNX HVAC and core lighting systems. Now that the project has been handed over, the onsite engineering team is able to manage the KNX system itself and is safe in the knowledge that the technology with which it has been provided is open standard and supported by multiple manufacturers.

some of the patient bedrooms, additional RGB DALI lighting was installed to provide colour therapy. Throughout the morning, the system provides bright blue lighting (4000 K) which encourages a healthy appetite, increases body temperature and heart rate, and leads to greater cognitive function. As night time approaches, a warmer (2700-3000 K) lighting creates calm and lower hormone levels and further aids healing. These profiles alter the lighting continuously throughout the day and night to provide the correct colour temperature in patients’ bedrooms. In addition, by having warmer lighting, medical staff can complete rounds without disrupting patients’ sleep. By integrating the fan coil, lighting, biodynamic lighting, C0 2 monitoring and motorised window controls onto the KNX bus, considerable project savings were made. SES was able to simplify the wiring throughout the project because a single bus network was used for many of the building control systems. This also reduced control and sensor duplication. In total, the project uses over 2500 KNX devices provided by IPAS, and JUNG. The entire KNX system is connected bymultiple IP interfaces to a site-wide IPAS CommBriderEvolution BMS system. Experience from the project Our involvement with this vast construction project totalled just over two years from initial conception through installation of the specialist lighting requirements and subsequent development of the more comprehensive brief to design and deliver a whole- site control strategy. The implementation and commissioning process ended late summer 2018. Since commissioning, no changes have been requested or necessary, and there are no current or ongoing issues. As long-standing advocates of KNX, we are proud that this large and complex project stands as testament to the many benefits of designing projects using KNX. The main advantages we highlighted to our younger engineers were as follows: • Early engagement within projects – this proved to be vital as it quickly allowed the M&E team to understand what we,

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SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

JUNE 2019