University of Queensland Global Change Institute

CHALLENGE

The Global Change Institute Building is designed to meet the highest standards in sustainability. The control system behind the building was meant to mesh seamlessly with the Building Management System, such that users would have control where required of internal and external blinds, louvres, shadescreens, in slab cooling, building modes and the usual AV and lighting systems, without affecting the overall efficiency of the building.

SOLUTION

AMX MXD-1000 touch panels were used as the standard touch panel interfaces throughout the building. One central NI-3100 controller attached to a field server device is used to talk directly to the BMS system with Master-to-Master communication. In addition to the primary touch panels in all spaces, secondary panels are installed in office spaces as well as a single master panel for control by the building manager. If a button is pressed in the level 1 presentation space, that command is sent to the central controller then translated and sent to the BMS, the reply is then processed and returned to that space such that both the touch panel in the space and the central managers interface are kept up to date with exactly the current status of the building. This level of control is critical to help the building meeting its pedagogical and sustainability goals. For instance the building will harvest all of its own energy and water on site and plans to operate Carbon Neutral and Zero Energy strategies in its daily operation.

IMPACT

"The control system is central to its day-to-day operation, simple things such as the ability to tell if it is day or night when a room is turned on and to turn the lights on or not as part of that process is key to keeping the energy usage to the lowest possible amount."

– Luke Angel, Manager AV Support & Integration