2003-08-06 - A reception area refurbishment project in Bank House, a thirty-year old office block in the heart of Birmingham, put cost-efficient energy control at the heart of the programme.
The refurbishment was designed to reflect the needs of the prestige office accommodation in the 21st century and to respond to the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. An ABB i-bus® EIB control system was chosen to provide integrated, efficient control of a complex lighting and heating system for the reception and associated areas.
The refurbishment project involved considerable teamwork between managing agents, GVA Grimley, architect, Panton Sargent Ltd, lighting designers and electrical consultants, Faber Maunsell, shop fitters, Edmonds Shop Fitters, electrical contractors, A1 Electrical Services and Bank House Building Manager, Bill Lucy.
Work began in September 2002 and was completed by March 2003. The result is a a reception area that reflects the need of a building whose tenants include leading professional organisations including private banks, development companies and solicitors, among others.
The older reception was not only showing its age, having undergone no significant change since the building was completed in 1972, access was difficult for disabled visitors and the electrical lighting and heating systems were complex and unco-ordinated.
Complete centralised control
When selecting a system to control the electrics for the new reception the priorities were flexibility and simple centralised control. Instead of lighting switches all over the place and offering no more choice than on/off the aim was to control all internal and external lighting from the reception desk and to be able to dim the different types of lights to suit the conditions.
The electrical system was designed by lighting designers and electrical consultants, Faber Maunsell. This firm specified the ABB i-bus intelligent building installation system. With the ABB i-bus all the relevant lighting, heating and security control functions can be integrated into one system. Control can be exercised remotely or centrally and many functions can be preset and automatically implemented if required.
The lighting system in Bank House reception consists of almost 90 fluorescent lamps, track lighting and extra low voltage spotlights. It also controls internal and external lit signage. In the time since the reception area came into use there has never been an occasion when the full complement has been required, much of the lighting is dimmed to a degree.
The reception area electrical system is now controlled from the reception desk. It covers the internal and external lighting, heating and access to the building’s underground garage.
Bank House has always offered prestigious accommodation for professional firms in the heart of Birmingham. The stylish refurbishment of its reception area has confirmed it as one of the city’s most impressive business locations.
About ABB i-bus® EIB
ABB’s low-voltage control system incorporates a single two-wire control cable linking individual system components that trigger or execute programmable commands ensuring complete design flexibility. Individual electronic microprocessor units such as shutter actuators, timers and power supply not only perform several functions independently but also communicate with each other via a single bus. System configuration and commissioning is achieved by connection of a PC at any point of the system via a serial interface, utilising specialist EIB software. Individual electrical circuits are operated by several independent switches (or sensors), without complicated wiring or two-way circuits, and do not require a PC to be permanently connected.