A Sigh of Relief in the City District.
What do you do when an entire campus needs flexible room air solutions? Turning to robatherm was undoubtedly a good idea.
Close to Munich‘s East Train Station, an extraordinary kind of urban area is being developed: larger, more individual, more contemporary. The “neue balan” is a project that transcends conventional dimensions. On the so-called „Campus of Ideas,“ it takes more than just stamina to get through the many individual construction phases. It also calls for competent specialists, for example, for the realization of sophisticated, versatile air handling technology. So the planners probably had good reasons for choosing robatherm.
Long-term Project with Role Model Character.
As in other major cities and metropolitan areas, a lot is happening on Munich‘s construction sites. An outstanding example of this is the “neue balan”. It should be new while at the same time preserving the original. This urban development concept was designed as an office and commercial site with an industrial flair. What sounds quite clever turns out to be a long-term, ambitious large-scale project. In fact, this so-called „Campus of Ideas“ will be nothing less than the trend-setting working world of tomorrow. A unique feature is the area‘s historical roots and the highly respectful preservation of existing buildings. Where a part of the future is currently being created, Siemens used to manufacture components and semiconductors during the 1950s. The site was occupied until 2006 by Infineon Technologies AG, which was spun off in 1999 to develop chips.
From the Siemens Site to a Model For the Future.
In 2007, the current investor initiated the ongoing reconstruction and expansion. The concept envisions an occupancy-oriented use, in which existing buildings are fundamentally refurbished and converted in line with existing ones. Today, the Campus is a hotspot for businesses of all sizes, from high-tech design and architecture to entertainment, retail, therapy, and the arts. The networked structure promotes communication to develop synergies. In addition, the area should be geared towards a more contemporary approach to life. Because the transitions between working and life are becoming more individual and flowing. Spatial and Timing. Recreational areas or leisure facilities are seamlessly integrated here, as are communicative meeting places and roof terraces with panoramic views. Everything to facilitate a work-life balance worthy of this name. From landscaped grounds to a 50-meter pool, from versatile cuisine to an integrative Montessori school. The conscious integration of social and cultural components underlines the holistic approach.
Flexibility as a Central Goal.
The requirements for this construction project are highly complex for robatherm. On the one hand, the owner expects facility management systems that function reliably and retain their value. On the other hand, the mix of tenants ensures a wide variety of room air requirements. That means: If the use of a part of the building changes, the air handling technology must also be adapted accordingly to ensure that the space remains usable for future tenants. robatherm relies on an independent energy supply for the units to facilitate sustainable flexibility. A unique feature is again the project‘s duration. With existing buildings being refurbished gradually over several years, systems that have already been installed are constantly being checked. New air handling units are being optimized design-wise based on the knowledge that has been gained in the meantime.
Head Start through
Plug-and-Play.
Scheduling coordination and, above all, the collaboration with all involved trades were and are essential for the project‘s success. The busy downtown location alone, with many closed roads, makes delivery a time-consuming cost driver. robatherm supplied part of the necessary air handling units, already assembled on DIN-frames, to economically counteract this significant project. This not only minimizes the effort on site. At the same time, the turnkey air handling units ensure the best possible assembly quality. „Looking back, I can say that the entire logistics planning and installation of the AHUs functioned without complications or problems,“ Franz-Xaver Nagl sums up. He is the Managing Director at ITG Landshut, Germany. ITG Landshut is responsible for planning the facility management technology for the „neue balan“ project.
Individuality for Existing Buildings.
Another challenge lies in different dimensions of then and today‘s facility management. For example, the modern units for the „neue balan“ are more complex and significantly larger than the technology of bygone eras. Restricted floor space within the existing buildings has thus made the planning process noticeably more complicated. After all, not all new AHUs could be delivered weatherproof and installed on the roof. The solution was, therefore, far-sighted creativity – and a flexible casing design. For this reason, robatherm has continuously liaised with the responsible engineering office and adapted the air handling units to the cramped conditions. This flexible concept clearly shows that essential elements of robatherm‘s service diversity come into play in the project.
robatherm in its Element.
Of the 44 AHUs delivered, 34 are weatherproof, and 10 are designed for indoor use. A total of 18 of these turnkey units were mounted on DIN-frames in advance. The installed control technology also shows variable solutions. In some cases, the control cabinets were integrated into the air handling unit; in others, they were installed separately. The AHUs can be conveniently operated via web servers. In addition, they are integrated into the overriding building control system via BACnet. EC-fans ensure efficient operation. AHUs for the food service industry have encapsulated motors to protect them from greasy kitchen exhaust air. Both plate exchangers and rotors were used for heat recovery. The characteristic of „neue balan“ is that almost all air handling units are equipped with heat pumps.
Heat Pumps at their Best.
By reversing the cycle, the solution developed by robatherm takes over both the heating and cooling functions. Two coolant circuits make sense here because less cooling than heating capacity is required in the project‘s buildings. If one circuit is disturbed during heating, the AHU still retains 50% of its capacity. Further Advantage: Since the units do not require separate media lines, shaft assignment and installation effort is significantly reduced. The main advantage is independence from the external energy supply. The self-sufficient function creates a quasi-backup system for the comprehensive heating and cooling supply. This significantly increases operational safety. A separate cooling system can be switched on to ensure this, even during peak loads in cooling mode. This ensures a pleasant room climate, even when outdoor temperatures are high. The most striking feature of robatherm AHUs is their efficiency. Thanks to integrated heat pumps, they are also considerably more economical under partial load. If the AHUs were connected to a separate, central heat pump, large compressors with high power consumption would have to be running year-round.
Cleverly Autonomous and Intelligently Networked.
ince the „new balan“ comprises a wide variety of buildings, the facility management is also complex. Therefore, a savvy combination of networked and self-sufficient areas was developed as the ideal solution for the project:While heating and cooling systems for parts of the building were planned overall, ventilation was conceptually designed to be decentralized. It was deliberately decoupled from the site supply system. Respective systems are centrally monitored via a facility management system enabling the energy consumption of each building to be optimally regulated using monitoring. Thus, robatherm not only has become part of a future-oriented major project but also part of a forward-looking solution. An assessment that Franz-Xaver Nagl shares with robatherm: „The current data confirms our planning: both the AHUs and the entire system are running very cost-efficiently.“ And he should know: Since the beginning of the balan-project, Franz-Xaver Nagl has been responsible for planning the facility management.