Management of Building Facilities

Design and installation of a monitoring platform, control and use of diverse systems integrated in a multiservice network as well as installation and integration of special installations.

Needs

Buildings present unique projects that require specialised management including control of common areas, technical management of other more industrial systems and monitoring in and around homes. These projects require a major effort in terms of integration and incorporation of centralised systems and their common management by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools.

Our most representative case is an emblematic building which was fully remodelled and then equipped with the most advanced infrastructures to provide high service to its occupants, whether home owners or renters. The property included private and public areas as well as office space and a commercial zone for shops. Throughout the complex, diverse systems were integrated to meet technological demands and then centralised in a specific management and maintenance area:

- Automation in homes and offices.
- Technical management in the building, BMS.
- Access control to residential and private common areas.
- Security Systems.
- Energy efficient solutions.
- Individual billing systems for consumption.
- PA and audiovisual systems.

Solution

To carry out this project, we proposed a series of systems that would be integrated via a hardware/software platform capable of maintaining continuous monitoring and control of multiple elements that coexisted in a global system.

The key to global control of the building and its diverse system is a centralised management platform. The common interconnecting element is a Multiservice Network extended through a high speed structured cable that directs the services to IP protocol technologies and connects all the building's systems with a high availability central server.

In homes and offices a complete RESIDENTIAL AUTOMATION system is incorporated and distributed by zones and areas with individual controls for lighting, air conditioning and heating, blinds, awnings, automatic irrigation etc. A central meteorology station provides local climate data and relevant information for the automation and control systems.

In SECURITY, the complex is equipped with a system that is totally capable of integration both for common areas as well as for each home and office to detect non-authorised access. Video surveillance cameras are available in both common areas as well as private areas if desired and provide preventive motion surveillance. Access to critical areas is obtained by user authorisation through a radiofrequency access control system and eventually by other biometric technologies such as fingerprint recognition.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY is covered by lighting and HVAC controls that offer a variety of function modes (programmed, intelligent, automatic with delay and manual delay). Both the season of the year and centralised lighting control offer relevant information for decision making.


CONSUMPTION CONTROL can be applied to the electricity network, water supply, telephone, Internet access, etc. making it possible to authorise or limit consumption, as well as to privately bill each system, offering an alternative to community contracts with the accompanying savings in costs.

AUDIOVISUAL equipment with PA systems and wired broadcasting in common areas of the building with technological infrastructures harmoniously integrated into furnishings.

INTEGRATION with other systems for industrial management of the building (Building Management System, BMS) offers additional value for decision-making, preventive supervision and minimizing management costs and maintenance.

ACERCA has participated in the engineering project, special installations, and installation of the platform, its integration, technical management and the certification of various subsystems.

Benefits

Provides a unique platform for interconnection and management of the building's systems that simplifies technical and administrative activities making them more profitable.
The integrated non-stop monitoring system informs of the need to replace equipment and material and simultaneously informs and programmes maintenance. This reduces delays and discomfort as well as minimising maintenance costs.
It's possible for the end users to modify certain parameters in order to personalise the services to meet their needs.
Emergency situations or problems that arise outside working hours are much more manageable thanks to interconnected systems that minimize problems and increase security.
The result of all this is personalisation of resources and services for the user while providing management the benefits of cost saving from the moment of design and construction through the end of the building's life cycle.

Similar Cases

The monitoring and management platform in this building has had other applications for both private use (homes and luxury villas) as well as on a much grander scale (business centres and high rise apartment buildings) as well as public use (congress halls) with each case considered individually within ACERCA's portfolio of solutions.