Opened in the 1970s’, the unique design and construction of the Civic Centre continues to attract the attention of visitors, architects, photographers and writers. The Centre remains an architectural showcase and is a shining example of energy efficiency.

Today, some 1,850 council officers benefit from a robust building management system that has been effectively looked after by Honeywell Building Solutions since the building was opened. A Honeywell system was fitted as part of the Centre’s original construction for the monitoring and control of heating, ventilation and air conditioning assets.

For the last twenty-five years, Honeywell has maintained the system and has ensured the peak performance of two chillers, three cooling towers, water tanks and numerous fan coil units.

The system has been upgraded recently, with Honeywell’s Enterprise Buildings Integrator front end, including Energy Manager, providing the Council with greater control and functionality.

Covering an area of eight acres including extensive gardens and a paved entrance square, the cross-shaped building consists of open plan office floors for council staff, linked to a civic suite comprising meeting rooms, councillors' offices, the Mayor's parlour, the council chamber, civic hall and registry office.

The three main office floors are each equivalent in size to two football pitches, but to provide practical working areas, each floor is divided into four split-level quadrants. The floors are linked to the main reception area by lifts, stairs and ramps.

“Thanks to 25 years of high quality service, much of the original equipment is still performing - well beyond its anticipated lifespan,” says Honeywell Building Solution’s Account Manager Simon Browne.

“Some time ago, we carried out an audit of the plant and put forward a 10-year capital plant replacement programme including costs and time scales. The Council budgets accordingly and we make the changes required to ensure that the building management system continues to work even more effectively and efficiently than it did when the Centre first opened.”

Three engineers work on-site five days each week, carrying out a planned preventative maintenance programme and refurbishing or replacing plant as and when necessary. For example, one ongoing programme involves replacing many of the pneumatic controls that made up the original system with Honeywell XL500 controllers. Honeywell is also in the process of replacing the cooling towers and the water tanks.

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