Sheffield Hallam University Collegiate
A comfortable environment is essential for productive and enjoyable study. Sheffield Hallam University has ensured that its student body has the right physiological learning conditions in its Collegiate Learning Centre by being proactively involved in the design and specification of its building-management system.
Dale Wilcock, managing director of 1st Call Technology, describes the system.
‘Our client, Sheffield Hallam University, was keen to explore the latest integration technology offered to the large and established BMS (building management system) installed in its campus.
‘The key objectives were to provide a building-control system for the Collegiate Learning Centre, situated on the Collegiate Campus, using industry-leading technology and integrate it with the existing system supplied by another manufacturer.
‘The university has an extensive BMS system which is very familiar to the users and operators within the university; therefore it was most important that any new system would be integrated seamlessly with the “look and feel” of the existing graphical front end.’
Working closely with Lee Allen, senior building services engineer for the university, 1st Call Technology prepared a specification for the new system based on the CentraLine Hawk controller that would fully integrate with the resident BMS. The Learning Centre mechanical design included fan-coil units, air-handling units, chillers, inverters and pumps.
Dale Wilcock continues, ‘We decided that BACnet (Building Automation Control network) was the obvious choice for the open protocol used this throughout the system architecture. The CentraLine Hawk integration controller was the hub of the Learning Centre sub-system. The Niagara software is in our opinion, the leading technology in building system integration, and was ideally suited for this application.
‘The system we designed used BACnet on a MS/TP (master slave/token passing) protocol network for the Lynx fan-coil-unit controllers and inverters. The air-handling units and chillers used BACnet on IP (Internet Protocol) for communication with the Hawk integration controller.
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| The Collegiate Learning Centre at Sheffield Hallam University. |
‘A critical aspect of the installation was the complete integration of the new Hawk-based system into the existing BMS infrastructure. The criteria for success would be no perceived difference to the user when accessing the Learning Centre through the existing front end.
‘This was achieved by the migration and integration of the BACnet points of the Hawk-based architecture into the other manufacturer’s system. Effectively the CentraLine Hawk based sub-system is presented and accessed in the same text and graphic format as campus BMS.’
The design philosophy of utilising the full economic possibilities of integration also enabled 1st Call Technology to use ‘spare’ BACnet I/O (input/output) hardware and software points. An example was the use of the inverter’s BACnet points and internal programming capability to provide control loops and switching logic to reduce the need for extra field controllers and distributed I/O.
Essentially latent control function was taken from the inverters and used in non-motor control applications to give cost savings in hardware, wiring and installation costs.
The Sheffield Hallam University Collegiate Learning Centre is a tremendous asset to students; it has 614 study spaces and 472 PC stations with printing, scanning and photocopying facilities.
It has all the attributes that is be expected of a modern learning environment —free Wi-Fi throughout the building, an electronic library with scanning, printing, copying and photocopying supported by an IT helpdesk. Laptop and audio visual equipment loans are available to ensure all students have access to the centre’s resources.
Particular attention has been given to students with disabilities by providing adjustable workspace and assistive technology capabilities.
Jim Sword Sales Manager of CentraLine by Honeywell, ‘The integration of the Collegiate Learning Centre building-control system with the established BMS infrastructure is an excellent example of 1st Call Technology working with the university’s senior building-services engineers to write a specification that understands and reflects the users past experiences and future requirements.
‘It is important that an effective and efficient building-management system meets the demands of the mechanical services. However, its design and implementation must also complement the building’s enterprise technology.
‘This installation demonstrates the need for building systems to reflect the innovative, IT-led approach to student learning and development.
It is especially gratifying to see BACnet used as the primary open protocol within the Hawk integration controller. The origins of BACnet are closely associated with the need of educational campuses to integrate different manufacturer’s products and be released from the restraints of propriety systems.’
Dale Wilcock summarised, ‘Successful building-management systems are much more than the control of building services. To maximise their return on investment they need to be fully in tune with the operational requirements of the user.
‘It is vital to involve and listen to the needs of your client. Working with Sheffield Hallam University engineering staff and benefiting from their technical input and operational knowledge was a key success factor in this project.’
For further information on Centraline, please contact us on 01344 656443.
