Elbdeck

The building complex, which is situated on the banks of the Elbe and was designed by the architect Carsten Roth, opened in 2014. The owners, three prominent shipping families with deep roots in the region, decided on an innovative solution to cool the buildings: to collect the water that presses against the foundation walls of buildings in this area and then process it so that it is suitable for cooling the apartments and commercial spaces.

The most challenging aspect of the project was to link the building automation system to the plant responsible for processing the water along the foundations. The general contractor, Aug. Prien Bauunternehmung, commissioned the team from Kieback&Peter to develop a solution that would allow the buildings to efficiently manage their energy balance.

In addition to the processing plant, the building automation system also had to incorporate the heating, ventilation, sanitation and electrical systems and ensure that the residents of these luxury apartments were comfortable at all times.

Kieback&Peter Hamburg deployed a team of experienced engineers, project managers and system technicians for the project: René Kruschat, Marc-Xander Spethmann and Timo Köhnen planned and implemented the project. They installed a DDC4000 automation system in the complex: Four DDC4200 and DDC4002 controllers now monitor the plant technology of the individual systems and control them with open-loop and closed-loop control. The facility manager can easily and intuitively operate the systems using a TFT touchscreen.

The water processing plant communicates with the other systems using “ready” messages and “malfunction” messages. It sends these message via the integrated overall system, for instance to signal to the raw water pumps when it is ready for operation. A flow measuring device checks that the pumps are pumping enough water from along the foundations. The building automation system also records the fill level of the water reserve tank. When it is full, the system stops water processing automatically. If there is a malfunction, the plant sends a message to the Neutrino BMS building management software. This ensures that facility management is notified immediately and can take swift action.

For the ventilation systems, Kieback&Peter installed a demand-based closed-loop control system. When determining the supply temperature of the cooling water, it also takes into account the availability of the water along the foundation.