Office

Features expected

Automation, control and supervision
    The boundary between traditional systems and automation systems can be identified in the ability to communicate that devices developed for automation systems have natively and which, on the contrary, is not usually provided in traditional devices: In traditional low voltage electrical systems, the control device acts directly on the power circuit of the controlled user.
    In automation systems, the control circuit is separated from the power supply circuit. The first consists of a signal network through which the control and actuation devices, equipped with their own processing and communication electronics, are able to exchange information in the form of digitally coded messages.
    An automation system of a building allows a series of functions with a series of advantages for those who live in or use the building that the traditional installation technique cannot achieve.
  The main fields of application of building automation systems are energy and economic savings; communication; safety; comfort (including assistance for disabled people); management.
    The main macro functions guaranteed by an automation system are thermoregulation; lighting; drives and motors; technical alarms and supervision; remote control of the system; scenarios.

Energy and economic saving
    Automation systems can play a fundamental role in reducing energy consumption in the tertiary sector which has now become the most energy-intensive sector in industrialising countries. The standard EN 15232 standard allows a simple and recognised estimation of energy and economic savings related to the adoption of an automation system that was previously quite delicate and complex.

Communication
    The communication between different sub-systems within the same building or the visualisation via the internet of images of the rooms following an alarm, are functions easily achievable in a bus system.
    A bus system can satisfy communication needs related to security, control and entertainment such as the activation of video surveillance cameras or the sending via internet of images of the rooms following an alarm, it allows to understand if there is really the issue or if it is just a false alarm.All the functions implemented in the various systems of a building can also be controlled remotely through the use of web servers or remote controllers on land or mobile networks. The video system becomes an integral part of the automation system, allowing, among other functions, communication between the different workstations within the same structure. The different communication solutions between staff and between them and occupants allow for important results, including ease of use, savings in installation and management and improvement of the service offered. The main points to be considered are:
Simplicity of wiring; Using bus technology wiring for the connection between the devices, all data and information travel on a simple twisted pair, thus saving on the material and time spent laying the cables. Using a 6-conductor cable, you can also bring power and speech to the various devices. The possibility of using a simple 6-conductor cable compared to the considerable bundle of cables (or the large multipolar cable) traditionally used, considerably facilitates installation, reducing installation times.
Modularity: By turning to systems that use modular technology, it is possible to make the system evolve over time, starting from the basic functions and subsequently adding the other functions, without nullifying the investments already made.
Continuity of service and ease of maintenance; By taking advantage of the internal self-diagnosis and anomaly recognition functions present in some systems; it is possible to immediately identify any faults. If necessary, the electronic modules can be replaced without having to interrupt the operation of the system, thus ensuring continuity of service. In addition, the electronic room control modules, if installed in the corridor, could be replaced without having to enter the patient’s room. In this way, no disturbance is caused to the patients and doctors and nurses can safely continue to operate according to their needs, while the technical maintenance staff can intervene promptly.

Access control
MODULAR: Modular architecture with standalone graphics or that can be integrated into third party SCADA systems.
SIMPLE CONFIGURATION: Plug and play system. Just add the devices on the KNX line.
SIMPLE MANAGEMENT: Procedures for assigning access permissions simplified with various levels of user privilege.
DIAGNOSTICS: Integrated diagnostics for system alarms or faults.
EXTENSION: Simple and minimally invasive functionality extension.

Security
    The integration of systems such as the alarm system, video surveillance and technical alarms allows to reduce installation costs without affecting performance. The presence alarm system can communicate with the video surveillance, lighting and other systems of the structure: the integration of the different systems therefore allows for a higher level of security and lower costs than single stand-alone systems. Many devices can be used multi-functionally by several systems.

Comfort
    The increase in the comfort offered by the building and the quality of living are among the best-known advantages of an automation control system. Lights and shutters of a room or a series of rooms can be grouped so that they can be controlled automatically or autonomously even by fragile people. This allows to conveniently turn off all the lights in an area with a single gesture, close the windows, put all the systems you want in standby condition (e.g., cooling), activate alarms, etc.
    By integrating the traditional functions of an electrical system with the control and automation functions of communication to and from the building, the usability of the structures is increased. Through thermoregulation, the system plays a fundamental role not only in minimising consumption, but also in improving comfort. People with disabilities or with temporary or permanent mobility limitations can receive assistance in using the spaces and their functions. The solutions that in most cases meet these needs can be video surveillance cameras; dedicated voice commands; remote controls with specific features such as large, illuminated buttons; large parade buttons; alarms reported on mobile phones in case of detection of flooding, gas leaks, open doors or windows, etc.; emergency call with dedicated or pull button. HVAC control - Comfort and efficiency in the same architecture:
HVAC SYSTEMS: All HVAC is managed by the building management system,
CENTRALIZED THERMAL EQUIPMENT: All the equipment for heating and cooling (Boiler - Chiller-UTA - VRV Free cooling) can be integrated into the system and managed locally by PLC / Inverter,
INTEROPERABILITY; All the communication protocols can be integrated,
DISTRIBUTED EQUIPMENT AND SENSORS; All the equipment and sensors distributed in the rooms (fan coils, valves and thermostats) can be integrated and managed on the KNX protocol.
FLEXIBILITY: A flexible and modular architecture allowing to face all the possible cases.

Living & Comfort – Energy saving and comfort
LIGHTING: Lighting management is integrated into the system.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND COMFORT: Natural and artificial light are exploited to ensure the best conditions of comfort and energy efficiency.
AUTOMATED MANAGEMENT: The building manages itself thanks to presence, brightness and air quality sensors.
INTEGRATION WITH SPECIFIC PROTOCOLS: Management of the lighting system on DALI bus.

Management
    The supervision and control systems allow the monitoring of all the vital parameters of buildings, facilitates ordinary and extraordinary maintenance and optimises the archiving of all data with connection to management software packages.

Energy Management
Managing and controlling building energy consumption
    Energy Managers, building owners, and Facility Managers are all too familiar with the pressure to reduce costs and energy consumption while maintaining occupant comfort. Energy management includes planning and operation of energy production and energy consumption units as well as storage and energy distribution. Objectives are resource conservation, climate protection and cost savings, while the users have permanent access to the energy they need. It is connected closely to environmental management, production management, logistics and other established business functions. In this sense, the choice of tool for managing and controlling building energy consumption and costs together with the BMS and the electrical power distribution scheme constitute the fundamental elements of the design of an electrical system, on which the analysis and development of the solution will depend. The ideal tool for managing and controlling building energy consumption and costs is user friendly, reporting and charting are so intuitive and easy to understand that it is not limited to use by expert energy managers. The solution shall be tailored to meet the individual requirements of each customer. The right solution focuses on energy management in order to analyse energy consumption and target savings in a building, enabling energy efficiency improvements and the continuous commissioning of the building.

Building Energy Manager System
    Cloud-based BEMS access to the meter and sensor information in the building over the internet. The information is collected from the BAS via a secure fixed IP connection and the end-user accesses their information by logging into a dedicated website using their unique username and password. No limit to the number of meters and sensor points you can connect to the service across any geographical location is essential for large organisations but useful also for any other context. The possibility to works with any third-party systems such as Tridium, BACnet, and standalone systems via the SQL or MS Access database where the meter and sensor information is stored is crucial to avoid any limitation in existing building as well as in fully new installations.

Analysis and charting
    The BEMS analysis and charting shows how, where, and when energy consumptions are. Energy consumption data can be analysed in a number of different ways from spectral analysis displays, regression analysis, actual versus target graphing, and lots more.
    Charting: View real-time energy information in day, week, month, year and custom view, Compare time periods, meters and export data.
    Analysis: View energy patterns using the Spectral Analysis tool, set targets based on driving factors or fixed parameters, compare actual versus target, Access regression analysis, overspend and consume charts, Analyse energy consumption compared to a smart target for real-time energy management.
    Reporting: Reports are an important tool for ongoing energy control by helping managers and key decision-makers keep track of energy-saving initiatives, verify if and where savings have been made, and when targets have been achieved. Fully customised reporting feature allows to generate instant or scheduled reports on energy consumption, costs, carbon emissions, performance versus targets, as well as tenant costs reports. 

Monitoring and alarms
    Alarms viewed via the map-based interface are particularly useful for a quick overview of multiple buildings in multiple locations for bureau or monitoring centres: Anomalies detected in energy consumed versus expected consumption, Alarm reports issued via email, Analysis of historical alarms can help identify potential ongoing issues.

Increasing awareness & encouraging behavioral change
    A web-based public information display can communicate information on a building’s energy performance and provides tips and recommendations of how employees can assist in reducing energy consumption. By publicly engaging people in energy efficiency behavioral change, there is the potential to improve energy efficiency by a further 5% over other energy efficiency measures in an organisation. It also goes beyond the building bringing this positive behavior into the wider public arena. Improve building energy performance, Energy savings of up to 5% over other energy efficiency measures through behavioral change, reduce cost and carbon footprint, Communicates energy policy & strategy to the public, according with ISO 50001 

Service continuity
General distribution schemes
    There are no real specific technical standard references for the choice of the electricity distribution scheme, also in consideration of the fact that this choice is necessarily free and dependent on the process served. Electricity distribution systems are a fundamental infrastructure for most business processes and help to determine their performance in terms, for example, of energy management, safety, reliability and maintainability. If plant safety is an essential property as a legal requirement, reliability, availability and maintainability are instead characteristics of the plant that directly impact the business. The possible configurations that an electrical distribution system can assume can generally be traced back to three fundamental schemes: the simple radial scheme; the double radial scheme; the ring. 

E-Mobility
EV charging stations
    Office building should be equipped with a modern infrastructure EV charging station, the access is from a ramp with automatic access control and power supply is configured for EV chargers. The power distribution is dimensioned so that all chargers can operate at the same time at full power; in the future the user will have the possibility to increase the number of EV chargers without modify the installation thanks to reserve designed and to the load management function. Load management makes sure that the available capacity of the building is not exceeded. At times when the current demand is high, the EV charger will pause the charge session. The charge session will start again when there is availability on the grid.
    Slow charging is perfect for employee cars staying for the whole day in the parking, while fast chargers are perfect solution for parking place reserved for visitors, enabling recharge in a shorter time. The charging unit should be connected to the internet via GSM, Wi-Fi or LAN for perfect integration into smart building system and configuration via app. Simplified authentication via either RFID or App provides flexibility for public-use case applications. Protection and safety of power supply are ensured by protection devices and automatic switches. Consumptions are kept under control and energy meters are integrated into BMS for the asset management.

Lobby
    The first area to which people access and is meant to welcome and direct tenants and visitors. it is possible to find the following services: Reception desk and waiting seats for visitors; Turnstile for counting accesses; Security screen area / Thermo-scan for COVID. Receptionists typically have responsibility to control entrance/exit doors, turnstiles and to monitor the security video surveillance as well as other alarms such fire or smoke detection. In case of safety alarms, the lobby is also generally one of mustering points and an area where it is possible to get access to emergency exits.

Canteen
    A food service area which includes different service areas: Kitchen for food preparation and all related operations such as food storage and dishwashing; Dining area with tables and seating, but also beverage dispensing and other food delivery counters; Cafeteria (or bar); Wardrobe and guest room with reserve areas for lunch with visitors.

Meeting room
    Flexible space that can be used for workshops and trainings, but also for meetings. The environment and the services in this module shall have facilitates interactions with participants, therefore equipment such as projectors and audio system would be considered electrical and cooling loads.

Open space office
    The open space office module hosts workstations, but also other services at the disposal of the employee. Following meeting spaces for restricted number of people could be available: Enclosed spaces with acoustical separations used for phone calls; Printers center area; Break area; Bathrooms (women, men & disabled); Circulation areas such as aisles and lift hall.

Single office
    Small office module is an area reserved for single manager usage or for small teams up to 5 people. Finish can vary according to the prestige of the occupant in the case of single person office or number of occupants in the case of office hosting a team. Typical electrical loads are workstations, screen to project and printer, in case of manager office an area of the room for a meeting table. 

Parking
    The parking module is dimensioned to accommodate employees and visitors’ cars. Access is with car gate provided with automatic access control. The parking is equipped as well with Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers.