March 2020

38 xxxx 2013 www.drivesncontrols.com n BUILDING SERVICES Orchestra’s energy-saving BMS hits the right note S ince 2012, Manchester’s renowned Hallé orchestra has used St Peter’s, a Grade II listed church in the Ancoats district of the city, as its main rehearsal and recording venue for its orchestras and choirs. The centre also hosts events ranging from conferences and weddings, to workshops and television recordings. The building has recently undergone a £4.3m upgrade, including the construction of a three-storey extension, known as the Oglesby Centre, that includes a café, large rehearsal space, education workshops, practice spaces, and improved facilities for the Hallé’s musicians and choirs. As part of the project, an integrated digital BMS (building management system) has been installed to make Hallé St Peter’s highly energy efficient. It includes sensors that monitor and adjust temperature, air quality and lighting automatically to achieve optimal conditions. The system is designed to lower energy consumption in every room in the new building, and to reduce operating costs and CO 2 emissions by up to 35%. The BMS – a Siemens Desigo system – also futureproofs the historic building by using open communications protocols that can connect to third-party devices. It is Internet of Things (IoT)-ready, so will be able to connect to new smart devices in the future. The system can be controlled from handheld tablets. Innovative controls notify room users of unnecessary energy consumption and encourage them to save energy. The system’s ability to regulate temperature and humidity automatically has the added benefit of providing well-balanced acoustics for performers and audiences. The BMS is linked to a CCTV security system and a fire monitoring system, designed to detect all types of fire hazard, and to distinguish between real and false alarms to avoid unnecessary interruptions. These systems were also supplied by Siemens. “With tens of thousands of people visiting the venue each year, the Hallé needed an intelligent systemwhich responds to changes in the building in real time and is easy to control,”recalls Siemens’site director, Robin Phillips.“The technology we have installed allows the building to talk, tell us how it feels, if it is under stress, what it is missing. It also functions discreetly behind the scenes, without compromising the performer or audience experience or the integrity of the design.” The redeveloped building had its official opening last November. “The sustainability and energy efficiency of this magnificent new facility was at the heart of our design,”says the Hallé’s chief executive, John Summers.“We have been able to find state-of-the-art solutions which will support Hallé’s targets for energy efficiency, comfort, safety and security. “By reducing the building’s energy use, we can play our part inmeeting the challenge of climate change, while reducing operating costs, somore resources can be dedicated to nurturing future generations of musical talent.” n A £4.3m extension to the Hallé orchestra’s recording and rehearsal venue in Manchester includes a digital building management system designed to cut it energy use by up to 35%. Tel: 01284 388 033 sales@ete.co.uk www.ete.co.uk Eastern Transformers & Equipment Ltd ...In complete control of power • ETE are now cer琀昀ed to design and manufacture UL Listed transformers • Designed to UL 5085-1 and UL 5085-2 standards • 25VA to 5kVA 1ph • Manufactured in the UK • Fast turnaround • Custom-built to your speci昀c requirements Stand D342 Following the upgrade, conditions inside the Hallé orchestra’s St Peter's recording and rehearsal venue can now be controlled from handheld devices