Building Automation Success Stories

BASemulator Instrumental in Remote Learning at AGH University of Science and Technology
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many educators have had to quickly and creatively learn how to teach hands-on training in a remote environment. When challenged to provide a remote learning solution for students enrolled in his building automation course, Jakub Grela (Ph.D. in Engineering), turned to Contemporary Controls and the BASemulator.

Contemporary Controls Delivers Custom Solution for Room Climate Automation
When PBH Mechanical Ltd. was awarded a contract to build a control panel for an office space and product lead time delays threatened their project deadline, they turned to Contemporary Controls to help them design a custom solution. Utilizing Contemporary Controls' BASautomation Series of open-control BACnet/IP Controllers, PBH Mechanical Ltd. was able to complete their project on time and deliver an automation system that exceeded their client's expectations.

Modbus Gateway Integrates Cleanroom Application with BMS
Contemporary Controls recently helped a customer complete Modbus to BACnet/IP integration in a cleanroom application. A mechanical contractor was developing a building management system (BMS) for a cleanroom installation which included optimizing the operation of 105 fan filter units (FFUs). The 105 units service one building with two cleanrooms that house eight separate rooms. The FFUs, from AirCare Automation, Inc., a leading supplier of cleanroom FFU controls for regulated air-control environments, used two Contemporary Controls' BASgatewayLX Modbus to BACnet Gateways (models BASGLX-M1) to convert the Modbus RTU protocol to BACnet/IP.

GreenMediaHD Uses Custom Components to Enhance Contemporary Controls' Open Controller
GreenmediaHD recently used the Sedona Alliance and Contemporary Controls' free Sedona Applications Editor (SAE)to create custom components for its advanced rooftop controller.

BAScontrol22C Provides Communication Solution for Office Automation
Intelligent building automation in offices and general commercial buildings can provide a more comfortable working environment for employees. In addition, room climate automation saves energy and reduces operation costs. But what happens when devices in the system cannot communicate with each other? Forest Eco Systems Ltd. recently used a Contemporary Controls' BACnet/IP Client/Server to resolve a communication issue between devices in an office automation system.

Contemporary Controls and GreenMediaHD Address Indoor Air Quality
GreenMediaHD (GMHD) has developed a system that can be retrofit to an existing air handler unit (AHU) to filter out pollutants and contaminants as the air passes through them. For maintenance, new setups and upgrades, the GreenMediaHD Air Quality System can be accessed locally by its web page, or remotely utilizing a Contemporary Controls EIGR-V Skorpion Gigabit IP Router with VPN capability. Both wired and cellular models are available.

Distance-Learning Made Easier with the BASpi
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many educators have had to quickly and creatively learn how to teach hands-on training virtually. The BASpi-IO was instrumental in allowing Jenny Brinker, an Energy Management instructor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC), to continue effectively teaching students how to assemble and program building control hardware and software.

Contemporary Controls and GreenMediaHD Address Indoor Air Quality
As people return to indoor spaces, a major concern is air quality. GreenMediaHD (GMHD) has developed a system that can be retrofit to an existing air handler unit (AHU) to filter out pollutants and contaminants as the air passes through them. Called the GreenMediaHD Indoor Air Quality System (IAQP), it uses a negative ion injection technique to improve air quality by reducing possible Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) contamination and minimizing the risk of a health hazard from airborne virus and bacteria in the duct system.

Contemporary Controls Helps Coventry University "Go Green"
There is an increased interest for more sustainable energy solutions. More and more businesses and other organizations are demanding environmentally friendly options, and universities are no exception. Using the Contemporary Controls BASgatewayLX Communication Gateway and EISK5-100T 5-Port Skorpion Switch, Coventry University (Coventry, UK) was able to implement two innovative energy solutions.

Contemporary Controls Plays a Role in the Binhai Cultural Center
Contemporary Controls' BASgatewayLX is part of the latest exciting addition to Tianjin, the Binhai Cultural Center. Tianjin is a thriving modern Chinese city that is a hub for innovative architectural design and equally impressive building automation to support energy management. The Binhai Cultural Center is a large complex that includes a library, art gallery, museum and theater.

Chiller Plant Optimization at Pharmaceutical Plant
Chiller systems can consume 35% or more of all the energy needed for building climate control. Chilled water is used in conjunction with air handler units (AHUs) to cool and dehumidify the air in mid-to large-size commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities. Significant energy cost savings can be obtained by optimizing chiller operation. Contemporary Controls' products were utilized by GreenMediaHD to develop an award-winning system to sequence and rotate chillers as well as adjust flow controls to obtain energy savings of over 20% at a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Colombia.

Contemporary Controls Provides BACnet Interface for People-Movers at Manchester (UK) Airport
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has awarded contracts to numerous vendors to assist with the enhancement and expansion of their Terminal 2, with the goal of positioning Manchester Airport as the global gateway for the North of England. Twenty-four airlines operate to countries all over the world from Terminal 2. One of the requirements is that all devices installed in the terminal are required to be BACnet IP compatible. BACnet is an international data communication protocol for building automation and control networks. Today there are literally millions of BACnet devices in use worldwide, many of them in municipal facilities such as airports.

Modbus Integration Solved at Galeria Manhattan Shopping Mall
Three of our popular BASgatewayLX — Modbus to BACnet gateway - were used to integrate 66 SystemAir heat pumps at the newly renovated Galeria Manhattan shopping mall in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland. Each heat pump then appeared as a "virtual BACnet device" to the BACnet headend. A single BASgatewayLX can easily handle up to 30 Modbus devices and 1,000 points.

BASrouter and BASview2 Eliminate Headaches for Office Building
The BASrouter stand-alone router and BASview2 graphical interface were chosen as part of the upgrade from pneumatics to Direct Digital Control (DDC) for the air handler system at a multi-story office building in Santa Rosa, California. The pneumatic system was just not up to the task of providing comfortable temperatures in all areas of the building leading to complaints from the building tenants.

BASautomation Product Line Helps to Advance Buildings' Rating
Contemporary Controls is proud to play an integral part in the Building Management System (BMS) of the Henderson 688 project in Shanghai, PRC. The BMS of the Henderson project contains a swath of various technologies with Contemporary Controls devices playing key parts in the system. Contemporary Controls has more than 51 BASrouters and numerous Skorpion8 and 16-port 10/100 Mbps Ethernet switches from our BASautomation and CTRLink line of products in the buildings' BMS.

Managed Switches Provide the Required Cable Redundancy for UK's Tallest Building
Contemporary Controls' managed compact switch, the EICP8M, provides the cable redundancy required by Cylon Controls' Ethernet-based building automation system in the United Kingdom's tallest skyscraper-Canary Wharf Tower. A hundred EICP8M switches are wired in a ring topology to ensure that a single cable break would not impact communication.

The BASrouter Makes the BACnet/IP to MS/TP Connection at Salisbury Law Courts
The BASrouter, which connects BACnet/IP networks to BACnet MS/TP networks, is part of the newly constructed Salisbury Law Courts complex that has been awarded a BREEAM "Excellent" rating based on its sustainable design and environmental performance.

UL864 Ethernet Switch Used With Federal Firesafety at Western Washington University
Western Washington University is a liberal arts college situated in Bellingham, just 90 miles north of Seattle. The University maintains 73 buildings on a 215-acre campus and 15 residence halls housing 4,000 students.

UL864 Ethernet Switch Used With Alerton DDC at Seattle Art Museum
The 42-story Washington Mutual-Seattle Art Museum in Seattle, Wa, depends on an Alerton Distributed Digital Control (DDC) system. ATS Automation, the controls contractor for the building, chose the Alerton DDC control technology because the project required a control system that would include smoke control.

ARCNET/Ethernet Server Saves Woodmen Tower From a Costly Retrofit
The Woodmen Tower, built in 1969 in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, is 30 stories, 570,000 sq ft and home to the Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society. Johnson Controls' ARCNET-supported Metasys® building automation system is used to interconnect and simplify the operation of power, air conditioning, lighting, security, and other facility systems.

Skorpion Ethernet Switches Support Tridium's Niagara Framework
In an effort to reduce energy costs and save on facilities maintenance, a customer planned to eliminate a hard to maintain, outdated DDC system in a 500,000 sq ft building in downtown Chicago and replace it with a dedicated building automation network using Contemporary Controls' industrial-grade Ethernet Skorpion switches.

The Robert Redford Green Building Relies on Contemporary Controls' Ethernet Switch
Contemporary Controls' Ethernet switch communicates environmental control and energy information as an integral part of the technology enabling the Robert Redford building in Santa Monica, CA to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating, the highest rating from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for green construction.

UL 864 Recognized Ethernet Switch Connects Siemens Building Automation and Fire Safety Systems
In order to allow Ethernet switches to be powered from the fire alarm panel, with its inherent battery backup power, Siemens chose Contemporary Controls' EIS Ethernet Interconnect Switch Series, which is a UL 864 Recognized Component. The UL recognized component mark is rarely seen by the customer, but is often part of a larger end-product that is UL Listed by the fire alarm system supplier.

Skorpion Ethernet Switch is Used with Delta Controls at Berkeley City College
Mesa selected BACnet/IP® as the interface of choice to integrate the HVAC system with other building systems. The HVAC system is controlled through DSCs (Delta System Controllers) located on the building's floors. The DSC is a fully programmable, Native BACnet Building Controller that communicates on Twisted-Pair Ethernet 10BASE-T. It is suitable for controlling equipment such as AHUs, Boilers, Chillers and a variety of HVAC control systems.

BAS Switch Used with ALC Controller at Data Center
In 2006, a Los Angeles, California data center underwent a a complete building controls retrofit for a premier colocation and data center management company headquartered in Denver, Colorado.Tthe data center spans 450,000 square feet over five floors, making it the ideal spot for high-density server applications. Diverse substations supplying high-voltage electricity combined with 16-foot ceilings and 150 lbs/square foot floor loading capacity will support the most demanding colocation applications.