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Lenexa, Kan. — Jan. 14, 2015 — The most sustainable office building in the world features a building automation system (BAS) installed by a member of the InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance, an international alliance of independent building automation contractors.
The Edge office building in Amsterdam was awarded an Outstanding rating with the highest recorded BREEAM score of 98.36 percent and is now known as the most sustainable office building in the world. BREEAM is the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method for buildings and is the leading environmental rating system for buildings in Europe.
HC RT, an independent system integrator based in Purmerend, The Netherlands, completed the building automation and systems integration work for The Edge, including an innovative connected lighting system, which contributes to the sustainability of the building.
Located in the Zuidas business district, The Edge contains 431,000 square feet on 13 floors arranged in a U-shape around an expansive atrium. One of the most important of the many sustainable features of this multi-tenant office building is the Philips Ethernet-powered LED connected lighting system (CLS).
“The innovative CLS technology not only saves energy, but also provides information about how the building is used in order to increase its efficiency,” said Jacob Jansen, managing director, HC RT. “The Edge is the first building to use this system and our team rose to the challenge of integrating the CLS to all the systems in the building in order to create a seamless experience for occupants.”
The CLS contains more than 6,000 fixtures and uses the building’s lighting infrastructure for more than just illumination. Every second fixture is equipped with a multi-sensor that measures movement, light, temperature, and infrared. Each fixture is uniquely identified and seamlessly integrated into the IT network of the building.
As a result, when an office floor is empty, for example, the system can switch all the lighting off and set ventilation to a minimum. When someone arrives in an office space, the CLS automatically provides 300 lux of illumination and adjusts the ventilation to the desired level. The CLS offers employees the ability to individually regulate the climate and lighting in their workspaces through a smartphone application. The app also enables occupants to view and monitor their sustainable behavior.
In addition, the CLS gathers comprehensive data, processes it with analytics software, and presents the information to the facility manager on a dashboard. Real time and historical information about the building’s usage is available through the dashboard, enabling the facility staff to precisely monitor and manage every facet of the Edge.
“As one of the most technologically advanced smart buildings in the world, The Edge demonstrates what is possible to achieve with integrated BAS technology. Furthermore, it is no surprise that a member of InsideIQ was responsible for making the integration possible,” said Paul Strohm, president of the InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance. “InsideIQ member firms are local leaders in the use of advanced building technology and share best practices within the organization so our customers have access to the latest technology and BAS expertise available.”
The building’s developers, OVG Real Estate, note that the Edge is completely carbon-neutral. To achieve this, solar panels are located on the southern façade and on the roof, rainwater is collected and reused, and an aquifer thermal energy storage system provides heating and cooling for the building. The solar panels generate electricity to power cell phones and laptops using wireless charging stations and even recharge electric cars. The combination of all the sustainability measures in the building results in a significant reduction in energy use and utility costs and contributed to the facility's high BREEAM score.
InsideIQ Building Automation Alliance is an organization comprised of independent commercial building and facility automation companies representing common automation and security system platforms. The member firms across North America, Europe and Australia share best practices among more than 5,200 employees at over 110 locations.
Members specialize in the design and implementation of facilities and process control systems, systems integration, enterprise security systems, facilities maintenance services, energy services, and the representation of other value-added products and services. For more information, visit www.insideiq.org.
