Exhibition Hall 2, Augsburg – Just-in-Time for a World-leading Trade Fair
The construction of the new exhibition hall 2 in Augsburg was characterised by enormous time pressure. 1 year and not a single day longer - the new hall had to be ready for the official start of the world's leading trade fair Interlift in October 2019. An ambitious schedule for the trade fair itself, but also for all the companies involved. The hall measures 8,500 square metres with a hall height of ten metres. A special feature: it is completely column-free and can be darkened. This means that the new hall can be used not only for trade fairs, but also for events such as concerts.
Ventilation technology: big, bigger, efficient
As with its other buildings, the Augsburg Trade Fair Centre once again relied on robatherm's experience when it came to air handling technology. In total, 5 AHUs are used, four of them large central units with 72,000 m³/h each on the roof and another AHU with 35,000 m³/h on a connecting building. The large AHUs are 20 metres long, 6 metres deep and 4.30 metres high and are divided in height over the entire length. Combustion chambers are used for fast and effective temperature control. Their output is around 430 kW.
In the morning, before the opening of the trade fair, the combustion chambers help to quickly bring the hall to the required temperature. In all other cases, heat recovery takes over a large part of the temperature control. The supply of combustion air for the combustion chambers is provided separately through the casing. The exhaust gases are safely and efficiently conducted through special chimneys attached to the air handling units. The complete refrigeration technology is located in the AHUs. The exhaust air condensers have also been integrated into the units so that only the AHUs are visible on the roof surface in most cases. In addition, the refrigeration technology was designed in such a way that it can also cool at full capacity in recirculation mode without restriction.
How does a smooth installation work?
A large hall, but only little space for delivery - also this challenge was mastered. The individual casing parts were reinforced with bracing so that the units consisted of as few individual units as possible. This reduced the installation time on site considerably. In accordance with the on-site installation procedure, each AHU was timed for delivery. The delivery finally took place within a defined time corridor. This avoided that trucks which were waiting to block the already limited space on the construction site. An experienced team on the roof was then able to place and assemble the casing parts directly - just in time.
What does ease of maintenance look like in practice?
"We do not like to leave the service technicians out in the rain - in the truest sense of the word." The control cabinets for the cooling and control technology were integrated into the AHUs, but are located outside the air flow. This means that service technicians can work on the control cabinet even during operation, protected from the weather. All components are easy to maintain from inside the unit, and depending on their height, they can be accessed via internal maintenance platforms. This means that service technicians do not need ladders under normal circumstances. The inspection doors located in the upper area are only provided for emergencies.
