BACnet and KNX protocols.
Neues Kranzler Eck
(Berlin, Germany)
Neues Kranzler Eck office center with an office area of 45,000 sq. m. m is a room for 1800–2000 workplaces. The automation system in this building was implemented using the KNX protocol, linked to the control plane via BACnet gateways, and integrated into the central building management system. It controls lighting, screening, air conditioning, ventilation and heating. It also increases comfort, reduces energy consumption and optimizes building management.
The BACnet protocol is used as a standard for centralized automated building control. Individual ventilation and air conditioning systems are controlled by direct digital control DDC using the BACnet protocol. In this way, it is possible to visualize all functions in individual office spaces. For equipment managers using the DIFA system, they are supplemented by “power tools”, which can operate separately from all technical objects.
Tool factory Stihl AG
(Waiblingen, Germany)
Stihl AG is one of the world’s most famous manufacturers and exporters of power tools. The company’s headquarters are located in Waiblingen, near Stuttgart. Both buildings, located on two opposite ends of the city, are the centers of the company’s activities. However, there was a pressing need to provide ease of office and business management. It was decided to unite both factories with a common management system and establish common control of both existing systems and new facilities. To establish a new technical infrastructure, open communication protocols KNX and BACnet were used. In recent years, the building management system at the utility level has been completely modernized with KNX. All systems, including HVAC control, are now connected via the BACnet protocol.
University Hospital
(Trondheim, Norway)
St. Olav’s Hospital (total area 210,000 sq. m) may soon become one of the most innovative university hospitals in Europe. Building materials, for example, were selected with strict regard to their environmental friendliness. Equally stringent were the requirements for air quality, heating, noise reduction and lighting in hospital premises. In accordance with these high requirements, an integration solution based on KNX–BACnet technologies was also planned. Approximately 10,000 certified KNX controllers will ensure the circulation of fresh air. The building will be controlled using KNX–BACnet gateways and a control system based on the BACnet protocol.
The building was designed in close cooperation with the staff of St. Olav’s Hospital. The new university hospital will offer everything needed to provide modern healthcare services to its patients and their relatives, staff, as well as students.
Police Headquarters
(Frankfurt, Germany)
The new headquarters of the Frankfurt police (total area 57,000 sq. m) includes various functional areas: office space, central control room, shooting ranges, reaction training rooms, multifunctional gym, cafeteria, auto repair shop. The symbol of this complex is a logo depicting a helicopter hovering above the building.
In the police headquarters building, KNX equipment and systems were used to provide control over the lighting and blackout systems in the personal offices of employees. The KNX protocol was chosen for the following reasons: 100% interoperability between products from different manufacturers, certified KNX products and the ability to connect to a KNX network via standard gateways. This unified building management system offers obvious advantages such as locality and unified control, facilitating trouble-free management of the latest equipment.
Adapted from the KONNEX Association, 2006