One of Europe's largest aquariums, a six-story rainforest, and a world-unique reptile house. Today, the entire facility is connected to Regin's building management system Arrigo, and levels of heat, ventilation, water, and air quality can be measured and controlled around the clock. This means that in the rainforest area, comfortable humidity levels can be ensured for frogs, monkeys, and birds, while in the aquarium hall, a healthy water flow can be guaranteed for 30,000 species of fishes.
The biggest challenge in the project has been to ensure optimal levels in all parts of the property, each with its unique needs. With the help of advanced zone control, we have successfully been able to segment the building into different climate zones. In this way, it has been possible to maintain a specific climate in areas where the animals reside, while also creating a different atmosphere in, for example, conference or restaurant areas, says Stefan Elster, project manager at SI.
When the new infrastructure project Västlänken started, it was discovered that the fishes in the aquariums were affected by vibrations caused by tunnel explosions close to the building. At the request of the marine biologists at Universeum, SI has therefore developed a technical solution, based on Regin's programmable units, to receive messages from the Swedish Transport Administration's blasting warning service.
It was clear that the fishes reacted to the explosions. Through a messaging function, we were able to program the system so that a valve opens at a predetermined signal and releases a large amount of air bubbles into the aquarium just before the explosion. The fishes then receive a warning and can seek shelter at the bottom to feel safer, continues Stefan Elster.
One of Universeum's overarching goals is to establish and maintain a long-term sustainable operation. Energy monitoring and analysis have therefore been an important part of the system development, and recently, Lennart Svensson, responsible for Energy and Maintenance Services at SI, initiated an optimization project to explore new approaches to increased energy efficiency in the facility.
The current electricity usage in the facility corresponds to about 200 average-sized houses, indicating that even small improvements will yield noticeable results. By expanding the system with additional measuring points, fine-tuning the facility according to the day's variations and load, and connecting the system to Arrigo EMS, we strive to make significant progress in reducing energy consumption in the future, concludes Lennart Svensson.
Technical solution
The system is based on Regin's programmable DDC controllers EXOcompact and EXOclever. A total of 34 DDC controllers are installed in the facility, connected to Arrigo BMS software. Currently, Arrigo BMS is used where Universeum employees have access to customized views to get an overview and adjust levels in the facility. For ongoing operations, Arrigo FMS (Facility Management System) is used where everything from notifications about the necessary repositioning of items in an exhibition to scheduled maintenance measures in the property, such as mandatory ventilation control (OVK), is compiled. In connection with the energy optimization project, Universeum is also reviewing the possibilities of implementing Arrigo EMS (Energy Management System) for further energy monitoring and analysis. In addition to the overarching system, a variety of field products from Regin such as humidity sensors, temperature sensors, and immersion sensors are used to collect measurement values in the facility.
