Zollernalb Clinic
Safe and efficient: the new building of the Zollernalb hospital in Balingen © Reiner Löbe

In 2009, the district of Zollernalb in Germany held the groundbreaking ceremony for its new clinic in Balingen: The old medical center buildings from 1954 had become outdated, and a multitude of conversions and extensions meant that a complete refurbishment was no longer economical. As a result, the district decided to build a brand new medical center building. Kieback&Peter installed the building automation system in the new building for the medical center. It ensures that the building operates securely and energy-efficiently.

Medical center with the highest requirements for operational reliability

In 2009, the district of Zollernalb commissioned the planning group M+M AG to provide the technical building services for its new medical center. One year later, the M+M AG planning group awarded Kieback&Peter with the contract for installing the building automation system.

One of the most important planning aspects was the need for operational reliability from the control and regulation technology and the building automation system as a whole. To ensure a constant supply of fresh air for patients and hospital staff, the automation system has to function smoothly at all times. Likewise, the operator needs to be able to identify and correct faults quickly. Another major challenge was the sophisticated ventilation technology in the operating theaters, which Kieback&Peter had to control in a fail-safe way and integrate into the system.

Originally, the district authorities in Zollernalb planned to renovate the old medical center building and connect it to the new one. With that in mind, the client wanted to connect the older system from a competitor with the new building automation from Kieback&Peter. Project manager Thomas Ritter and system technician Andreas Haasner were tasked with ensuring the seamless integration of the systems and providing a secure and efficient overall solution.

Over the course of the project, however, the district decided against refurbishing the old building due to structural issues. Instead, the district authorities commissioned a second new building, for which Kieback&Peter was also to plan and implement a building automation system.

 

Entry area to Zollernalb Clinic
© Reiner Löbe

Secure Open Loop Control for Ventilation in Operating Theaters

For Zollernalb Clinic in Balingen, the Kieback&Peter team designed and installed an automation system providing all of the ventilation, heating and cooling technology for the building. It also controls the ventilation technology for the operating theaters: The chillers and circulating air coolers are connected to the DDC4000 automation system via a Modbus/BACnet gateway. The 20 DDC4200 and DDC4400 automation stations in the building ensure that the medical center technology runs securely and reliably. The specialists from Kieback&Peter also integrated a variety of electrical equipment messages into the building automation system via a BACnet gateway. The system includes over 2700 physical data points. Technicia

Inside Zollernalb Clinic
© Reiner Löbe

Well-Designed Software for Facility Management

As well as direct plant access via the DDC, the operator also uses the Neutrino BMS from Kieback&Peter. This management tool provides extensive monitoring and control functions: For example, 200 plant images map the actual plant conditions and consumption levels. That allows the facility manager to quickly identify whether all of the medical center systems are working efficiently and securely. Staff can access the plants any time and anywhere as necessary: Kieback&Peter set up several BMS operator stations on Windows computers, enabling decentralized control.

Operating room of the Zollernalb Clinic
Operating room of the Zollernalb Clinic © Reiner Löbe

Zollernalb Clinic in Balingen, Germany – A Summary of the Technology:

  • DDC4200 and DDC4400 automation stations
  • Secure HVAC closed-loop control for the entire clinic, including the operating theaters
  • More than 2700 physical data points
  • Integration of a variety of external providers, BACnet EIB interface for electrical installations 
  • Neutrino BMS building management software with decentralized operator stations for Windows PCs