Sontay, the market leader in field control devices, has joined forces with system integrator, Standard Control Systems to deliver a state-of-the-art Building Management System (BMS) for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) new headquarters in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland.
The award-winning building is around 5,000m² and features some of the most innovative control techniques available. Hamilton Architects were appointed to design the new HQ and followed the Government Office Specification and Workplace NI Design Informative in preparing layouts. The designs took into consideration spatial arrangements for circulation, allowances for services and infrastructure for expansion.
The building itself was designed and created ensuring value for money was at the heart of the project without the need to compromise on functionality and build quality. Another important consideration throughout the build process was the environment and reducing the impact on it. The end result focuses on dynamic interiors that allow for outward looking spaces that can be used as circulation and breakout areas for occupants.
When it came to the BMS, there were some important factors that needed to be considered. Firstly, the system had to work with the natural ventilation within the building and, secondly, it had to be an advanced and future-proof solution. As a result, Standard Control Systems, which is one of the largest providers of Integrated Building Energy Management Systems in Northern Ireland, installed a Trend BMS with a number of Sontay sensors playing an integral role.
“This was an impressive project with ambitious goals when it came to the design and functionality of the BMS system,” comments William Quinn, Associate Director at Standard Controls Systems. “The environment and the requirement to bring the outside inside through natural ventilation was key. As such we needed to be able to closely monitor the environmental conditions both inside and outside. We selected a range of Sontay sensors that could help us do that.”
Standard Control Systems selected the Sontay AV-WAD wind direction sensors along with the SC1000 CO2 Smart Communication Space Sensors.
The AV-WAD sensors are a core part of the natural ventilation system and measure external wind speed & Direction. They provide a pulsed output and are intended for applications where external weather conditions influence the building control strategy, such as for the automatic closing of windows.
The Smart Communication Sensor range combines smart connectivity with intelligent sensing. The sensors are tailored to suit any application and offer complete environmental sensing within a single unit. For added control, end-users can choose to have the collected data communicated through Modbus RTU or BACnet MS/TP. On this particular project, Standard Control Systems installed the BACnet CO2 smart sensors to monitor the internal conditions.
William continues, “The new smart sensors had significant benefits on this particular project for us. It made the installation phase quicker and meant it saved us valuable time and money. The engineering and commissioning processes were also simpler as the sensors have the ability to auto-assign, so you are not going through and setting up every device independently. For us the whole project ran smoothly and we are impressed with the end result.”
For further information on the Sontay product range, contact sales(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)sontay.com or visit www.sontay.com