ABB controller provides full control over heating, ventilation, security, lighting and AV in Gilbratar mansion 
(15/10/2006)
ABB’s European Installation Bus (EIB)/KNX controller will form the hub of a building management system being installed into a Gibraltar mansion. The controller will provide full control over the house’s main functions including heating, ventilation, security, lighting and AV.
ABB’s EIB/KNX controller was chosen as it was one of only a few intelligent building control systems available that offered contractors an open-standard platform. This simplified the process of incorporating other dedicated intelligent control systems, such as AV, air conditioning and security controls; so that all elements could be controlled from a central interface.
The project is unusual in that the EIB/KNX system was set up in the UK and then shipped over to Gibraltar for installation.
The whole installation is project managed by Modern Control. They supplied the products, and designed, installed, commissioned and integrated all the control elements. Modern Control employed CSE, a Buckinghamshire-based electrical control systems contractor, to supply, design and commission the motor control centre, which formed the communications hub of the system. It was then transferred to Gibraltar, where Modern Control is managing the complete installation in the house.
ABB’s EIB/KNX system works in a fundamentally different way from conventional smart building systems, in which central controls open and close a separate electrical circuit to activate each individual device, such as a light, blind or heating element. This conventional approach relies on hundreds of power cables to effectively distribute commands around the building.
In the EIB/KNX system, a sensor or control device such as a light switch sends a control signal over a twin-core data cable or bus to an actuator, which then controls a device locally. This approach yields a true two-wire system, without the need for hundreds of wires providing separate circuits between a central control point and each light or other device.
Andy Walsh, Contract Director of Modern Control, found that the open-standard of ABB’s controller saved time setting up the whole system: "It was a straight-forward process. We were able to integrate and operate all the elements via the controller in only four weeks, and then one more week to conduct pre-panel-testing, integration and sign-off. If we had done it using traditional means it would have taken eight to twelve weeks from start to practical completion".
The system has also enabled Modern Control to provide a service where it can monitor the house’s smart applications offsite, using IP connectivity. Walsh explains that the EIB/KNX controller enables Modern Control to offer a complete facilities management service from the UK: "As the owner requested that we maintain the house’s functions, we needed a system that would enable us to monitor the house’s controls, and manage any faults remotely. ABB’s EIB/KNX system will alert us to faults at a moment’s notice. Using the system’s software, we can also isolate faults, so that we can identify, for example, which part of the air-conditioning system may not be working."
Related categories: Building management system Heating, ventilation, refrigeration Lighting control system Residential Security, fire and safety
