The prestigious new City of Westminster College Paddington Green Campus in central London has been fitted with a sustainable building control system from CentraLine by Honeywell. Specified and installed by system integrators Ashdown Controls, the CentraLine BMS features a suite of energy efficient products to control the College’s HVAC systems.
Designed by leading Danish architects schmidt hammer lassen and opened in January 2011, the £102 million Campus has just won a 2011 RIBA Award for architectural excellence. The 24,000sq m design features a distinctive stepped façade and full height internal atrium. It incorporates a restrained palette of materials and finishes, including exposed concrete and pale timber, to create a modern, light and spacious feel.
The diversity of spaces within the College had to be reflected in the overall HVAC design and, in particular, the central building management system is designed to control heating, air conditioning and ventilation in order to maximise energy efficiency. Universities and colleges are very well suited to the use of programmed and monitored automation systems to save energy. An energy efficient building control system such as CentraLine can help reduce energy costs by up to 30% and provide optimum operational performance and managed energy consumption without compromising comfort.
Energy saving
More than 30 CentraLine HAWK integrated HVAC controllers and 300 LYNX terminal unit controllers were installed at the Paddington Green Campus, along with four CHB2512A touch screens and associated valves and actuators to complete the system. LYNX terminal unit controls allow energy savings and reduce carbon emissions by providing only the exact amount of energy required to terminal units.
LYNX terminal unit controllers also ensure that HVAC plant operates only when parts of buildings are occupied and demanding energy. It sets ideal parameters and ensures the plant is controlled energy efficiently. Combining LYNX terminal unit controllers with HAWK controllers provides a complete Open Protocol solution from field level through to the enterprise level.
If all factors, such as time programmes, room occupancy, energy generation and distribution, set point values and air quality are continuously monitored for potential savings, then exceptionally economical operation is possible. Maintaining air quality in the different areas and matching it exactly to the number of students and staff leads directly to more efficient operation. Manual switching overrides allow facilities and maintenance teams to react quickly to unscheduled activities without having to carry out the tedious process of altering the time programme.
Rob Oakley of Ashdown Controls commented: “The suite of products which CentraLine could offer us perfectly suited the technical nature of the building. CentraLine has a great range of energy efficient products which could be easily integrated to allow the required levels of control and monitoring, while ensuring the right ambience and comfort.”
Sustainability
The system perfectly complements the new Campus’ other sustainable features, which include a green roof, rainwater harvesting and movement controlled lighting to minimise power use and the building’s impact on the local environment.
City of Westminster College is a leading provider of further and higher education in central London, and offers more than 200 academic and vocational courses each year to over 7,000 students. The new Campus provides superb facilities, including specialist science labs and workshops, a double-height sports hall, dance studio, fitness suite and the professional quality Sarah Siddons Theatre.