- Originally built in 1930, the EIC now showcases the newest energy efficient Siemens’ building solutions.
- The building is LEED Platinum® Certified and serves as a living laboratory.
Announced at Siemens U.S. Innovation Day, Pittsburgh’s Energy Innovation Center (EIC) continues to expand its use of smart building technologies. In 2014, the EIC, a National Historic Landmark located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began a massive renovation based on an integrated design-build process with the goal of optimizing all building performance components. To achieve these goals and those that it committed to through the Pittsburgh 2030 initiative, the EIC worked with the Building Technologies division at Siemens to install the latest digital tools for integrated building management. The system allows the facility to monitor energy usage and adjust to ensure maximum energy efficiency, enhancing its overall sustainability.“As a renovated Historic Landmark LEED Platinum facility designed to represent continued commissioning energy efficiencies, we are constantly striving to lead by example. This objective translates into a continuing effort to enhance our sustainability and performance initiatives. Siemens’ smart building technologies allow us to do this in an effective, comprehensive manner for operations while also creating a better, productive environment for our occupants,” stated Bill Miller, COO and Vice President of the EIC.
The EIC was originally built in 1930 as home to the Connelley Trade School. The site is perched high on the hill, with an excellent view of the adjacent downtown zone contributing to the technology hub that Pittsburgh has become. Today, the EIC remains committed to the mission of education and sustainability. It contributes to socially responsible workforce development, fostering energy and sustainable technology advancement and job creation through commitment to diversity, innovation and comprehensive education.
In addition to providing the integrated building management system and related building systems, Siemens also served as the integrated building systems provider for the project, bringing together interoperable building automation and control systems from various manufacturers on which students may be trained. The building itself and building systems serve as a living laboratory, with educational sessions offered that allow students to learn how to troubleshoot a facility in real-life situations.
“Intelligent infrastructure solutions not only result in cost savings for the EIC, but align with the overall values of the organization by giving visibility into energy usage and the ability to adjust for efficiency. We’re always proud to see our smart building technologies being implemented in facilities with prestigious histories and in ways that can also help teach the next generation of service technicians,” said Dave Hopping, President of Siemens’ North American-based Building Technologies division.
The Desigo® CC integrated building management system (IBMS) is being deployed in the EIC. The open platform IBMS provides smart building command, control, and communication by connecting building systems including HVAC, fire, energy metering, and lighting. It allows for dynamic control of the building’s systems in order to react to its daily operations.
Since Desigo CC IBMS’s installation in 2014, more Siemens features have been added including Total Room Automation which allows for adjustments to HVAC, lighting, and shades; Siveillance™ video management system for video surveillance; and, this year, Desigo® mass notification system, to help further enhance security as well as fire protection/detection.
Desigo and Siveillance are trademarks of Siemens and/or its affiliates in some countries.
LEED® — an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design™— is a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council®.
Visit Source: Siemens