Pictures of the Future Fall 2005
Intelligent Networking – Buildings
Tower of Superlatives
Taipei 101 has 101 floors and towers more than 500 m above the capital of Taiwan. It’s the world’s tallest building—and, like many other skyscrapers, it’s fully equipped with networked facilities from Siemens.
Automation systems from Siemens ensure safety and comfort in the world’s tallest building
On New Year’s Eve 2004, a tower of superlatives was officially opened in Taipei. Since then, Taipei 101 has become a focal point in the city’s life. The offices alone accommodate up to 12,000 workers. Taipei 101 is also home to more than 160 stores, several restaurants and a fitness center. It has four lighted, ventilated and heated parking levels and 61 elevators. Energy management systems help to save energy and minimize operating costs. The building and its occupants also have to be kept safe in the event of an accident or fire, while access to everything must be controlled.
"Automatic energy control and security systems are crucial to world-class buildings. In fact, they’re like a central nervous system," says Kurt Y.S. Yeh, who is responsible for all electrical and mechanical systems at the Taipei Financial Center Corporation (TFCC). The various "synapses" of this nervous system come together in the building’s control room, which provides a complete overview of the images relayed by surveillance cameras, the status of heating, ventilation, and climate control systems, and the air pressure in the stairwells. The latter must be higher than elsewhere to prevent smoke from entering in the event of a fire.
Siemens supplied two key building automation systems in Taipei 101: the Energy Management and Control System (EMCS) and the SiPass access control system. The EMCS ensures for example that temperature and air quality remain comfortable throughout the building. It also centrally controls Tapei 101’s lighting system, which includes more than 35,000 fluorescent tubes, energy-saving lamps and halogen lights from Siemens subsidiary Osram. To ensure smooth operation, the tower is equipped with more than 47,000 control units whose data is continuously analyzed by the EMCS. The EMCS also monitors all the fire protection and rescue systems. If a fire breaks out, the fire doors automatically close to ensure smoke-free escape routes. In case of a power outage, the system switches on emergency generators.
SiPass is responsible for security. Some 500 cameras monitor all areas of the building open to the public and the service areas. SiPass knows who is allowed access to which floors and offices, and its more than 300 card reader units at doors and elevators control the movements of office workers who must identify themselves. Anyone who has a business appointment must first register at the Visitor Access Kiosk. If the visitor is expected, the kiosk automatically generates an ID card with the corresponding access authorization.
The two systems—EMCS and SiPass—interact. If someone registers at an access terminal on one of the parking levels, SiPass informs the EMCS, which automatically turns on the lights on that level. Simultaneously, the images from a nearby surveillance camera appear on a monitor in the control room. Hansjörg Wigger from Siemens Building Technologies (SBT) is convinced that building automation, safety, security and technical building management will be integrated even further. The goal is to reduce costs and increase efficiency for the owners. However, universal solutions are not viable here, as each building has its own particular requirements. That’s why SBT developed its flexible Total Building Solutions concept (TBS), which consists of a series of components and systems that can be tailored to the specific needs of an individual building project. "For example, by using standardized protocols and interfaces, we enable fire protection and rescue systems to communicate with one another and keep escape routes open," says Wigger.
The systems must also be flexible. For example, although the EMCS switches off the air-conditioning systems when offices close, employees working overtime can reactivate them manually. Even more important is the security system’s adaptability, since most of the offices and shops are rented out temporarily to occupants whose needs vary. Obviously, a jewelry store requires more security than a boutique. But what happens when they swap locations? SiPass therefore has a modular structure. "Every floor has connections with the security system that allow the easy adjustment of individual components to fit the needs of each tenant," says K. T. Yeh, project manager at SBT in Taipei. "Tenants can easily integrate other SiPass functions, such as biometric readers or software for retrieving time and attendance reports."
This type of adaptability is extremely valuable for building owners, who plan long term. The tower’s first tenants have already moved in, and the Taipei Financial Center Corporation has every reason to be satisfied with the building and its various systems. "The Siemens team proved to be highly efficient in completing the systems on time for the grand opening. That’s a remarkable achievement," says TFCC manager Yeh.
Werner Werner Pluta