Art meets BEMS in new art gallery in Yorkshire
The Hepworth Wakefield art gallery in Yorkshire has a Desigo BEMS from Siemens to create an energy-efficient building and provide a controlled environment for the preservation of the valuable works of art housed there. The system was specified by Linear Controls to provide an effective way of measuring, monitoring and controlling energy throughout the gallery’s 5000 m2. The gallery is on the banks of the River Calder and uses river water to maintain an efficient temperature.
Faced with the challenges of a subzero-level plant with walls acting as a plenum and creating an energy-efficient building offering a controlled environment for the preservation of the valuable works of art displayed, Linear Control Systems was appointed to specify, install and commission the intelligent BEMS for the site.
A key part of the environmental control strategy is drawing water from the River Calder to a reverse-cycle heat pump to meet most of the heating and cooling requirements. The water is drawn through the line of an old mill race at basement level.
To give the site manager an accurate view of energy-consumption patterns, the Desigo BEMS produces reports through Desigo Insight, and this information can be accessed remotely via the Internet.
Insight makes it easy to pinpoint where and how energy is being used, and it can track against set targets and show archiving and trending data on humidity and temperature. The estate manager can use these data to make informed decisions on energy-efficiency measures while still ensuring the conditions, temperature and humidity, are suitable for housing precious works of art.
