The new campus site provides 8,200 m² of office space, excluding the atrium, and when fully occupied will accommodate 500 staff.  Priva currently employ around 400 people of which approximately 300 work in the Netherlands; the remainder operate within European branch offices including the UK.

Inside, the company has chosen an open-plan layout confident that the precise control of the building services will result in a comfortable working environment for everyone.  The application of chilled ceilings and natural ventilation means that many of the side effects of mechanical heating and cooling - layers of hot and cold air that result in hot heads and cold feet and uncomfortable drafts due to warm or cold air being pushed around the building - have been eradicated. 

Energy efficient underground storage

The foundation of the building’s heating and cooling system is an underground thermal energy storage (UTES) system incorporating separate cold and warm wells, heat exchangers and heat pumps.  The underground springs can supply up to 437kW of heating and up to 465kW of cooling.  Heating and cooling is simultaneously supplied to the building and has the ability to respond quickly to track changes in the weather.  Previous installations have shown that a UTES system can reduce energy consumption costs by 40% - 80%, dependent on its application.                                                                                

As Arnood Rook, Project Coordinator Application Development for Priva Building Intelligence, responsible for UTES explained: “Experience shows that temperatures of up to 80 - 90^oC are achievable in the warm well, with low temperature heat storage at 40 - 45^oC.  The introduction of the UTES system has meant that the new Priva building can operate perfectly efficiently without the need for boilers or chillers.

“To control the UTES, we have developed a library of software programs that manage heat and cold storage in the wells, drainage options, and that monitor minimum and maximum pressures, leakage, flow rate, and more.  In addition, for the end-user, there is a range of energy monitoring programs that provide data relating to, for example, total net stored energy and charged and discharged energy.  Minimum, maximum and the average status of the injection and extraction temperatures are accessible, together with information relating to groundwater displacement.”

BMS

Heating, cooling and lighting is controlled by a Priva BMS incorporating Compri HX and Comforte CX controllers.  Compri HX is a main plant controller that comes complete with embedded Internet technology that supports browser operation, alarm reporting by email and data transfer via XML.  At the Priva campus site, Compri HX controllers manage the UTES system, heat pumps, air handling units, and heat wheel. 

The Comforte CX is an intelligent individual room controller capable of providing integrated control of a number of devices including climate control equipment, lighting and sunblinds.  At the Priva campus, each floor is zone controlled with a dedicated Comforte CX managing lighting requirements and comfort conditions for its area.  CX units are able to communicate both with each other and with hierarchically superior devices via a BACnet MS/TP data network.  This means that in areas where lights need to be switched as a single group, it is a simple task to program any number of CX units into a ‘control cluster’ enabling the lights and, if necessary, other services across numerous zones to be switched together. 

Clustering is being utilised within the building, but because it is carried out in software, this type of control can be easily changed or adapted should there be a change of use in the future.  In total, Priva has installed 480 Comfort CX controllers ensuring maximum flexibility.                                          

Putting the building to the test

The building and its systems were recently tested when the Netherlands experienced its hottest summer in recorded history with temperatures reaching over 35^°C leading many buildings to turn-up their air conditioning systems - but not Priva.  “While outside temperatures were rising to record levels, the internal office temperature remained at a comfortable 24^oC.  This was achieved using chilled ceiling beams supplied with cold water from the UTES system; much more comfortable than mechanical air conditioners which can be noisy and draughty,” said Meiny Prins, Managing Director of Priva Building Intelligence.   

Playing a leading role in maintaining comfort conditions was the atrium’s natural ventilation system.  “Priva’s history in greenhouse management is a constant source of valuable data.  The natural ventilation system is based on greenhouse technology allowing skylights in the roof to be opened and then adjusted to exactly match internal cooling requirements.  And, of course, the energy savings in adopting natural ventilation are exceptional as air conditioning systems are one of the greatest energy consumers within building services,” explained Meiny Prins. 

Maintenance communication

The embedded Internet technology that is standard within the Compri HX controllers means that maintenance alarms can be automatically handled by a number of methods, dependent on the urgency of the alarm.  Plant and general failures are sent directly to the company’s maintenance contractor via Priva’s ServeCentre.  Messages can be directed at targeted maintenance personnel, according to their area of expertise, using SMS (Short Messaging Service).  Critical failures are monitored and if a response is not immediate then a further message is issued to a back-up service. 

In many cases, both critical and non-critical alarms can be actioned remotely via the modem connection or IT connection using VPN (Virtual Private Network), allowing the maintenance engineer to run remote diagnostics, switch plant on and off and adjust  operational programs as required.  Savings are achieved in minimum plant downtime, unnecessary site visits and practically uninterrupted comfort conditions for Priva personnel.                                                                                                                

“The building is a true representation of the Priva organisation.  The site has a public path running through it which meant that the building had to be constructed in two parts.  They are joined by a curved, visually dynamic roofline and a high-level walkway.  Below, the public path has been developed in to a wide, landscaped boulevard that is providing a mini haven for wildlife.  Glass curtain walling makes full use of available natural light and environmentally-friendly services are managed by state-of-the-art control technology.  Altogether, it mirrors the philosophy of the company by providing a transparent, flexible and innovative work space serving an international building controls market.     

“Inside we have combined open-plan work spaces with more structured areas encompassing offices, rest areas, a training suite, and conference facility.  We are particularly proud of the restaurant area that includes a lounge, library and conservatory as all this reflects the importance that we place on the welfare of the environment and our investment in people,” concluded Meiny Prins. 

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