Skip to main content
This page is displayed using automated translation. View in US English instead?
Fernbank Museum of Natural History hero image
Case Study

Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Preserving culture and collections

Since 1992, Fernbank has trusted us as a long-term partner to help maintain and modernize its facilities with a holistic approach that combines energy efficiency, environmental and building controls, and digital technologies for more resilient and sustainable museum operations.

Testimonial

“Siemens has been a partner to Fernbank for over 30 years. That kind of long-term relationship matters. If you switch providers, you lose knowledge and efficiencies. And with systems as important as our HVAC, building automation, and fire and life safety systems, you need a partner who understands how those systems work and how this building operates."

~ Dana Harvey - Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

At Fernbank museum little boy is looking through a telescope.

Modernizing Fernbank: The Siemens approach

We worked alongside museum leadership and facility staff to design a phased, multi-year modernization program that aligned with the museum’s mission and the practical realities of operating a high-use facility with exacting standards. This approach incorporated the replacement of aging infrastructure and introduced advanced automation and digital solutions to create consistent performance, energy efficiency, redundancies and long-term resilience.

Central plant improvements

  • High-efficiency chillers selected for superior part-load capability and redundancy
  • Variable frequency drives (VFDs) on pumps to enable a variable primary flow strategy
  • SweepClear filtration to keep condenser water system clean
  • Upgraded refrigerant monitoring and mechanical room exhaust systems for safety
  • Ongoing mechanical services for chillers, cooling towers and AHUs

Ongoing digitalization

  • Smart Building Assessments to identify opportunities and monitor performance
  • Building X Operations Manager to remotely operate and monitor building equipment and applications in real time, boost productivity, reduce travel costs and minimize downtime

Airside improvements

  • Replacement of aging air handling units (AHUs) with fan wall systems, adding redundancy and improving efficiency
  • Dynamic VAV Optimization (DVO) to balance comfort and energy savings
  • UV disinfection lighting to keep coils clean, which enhances the life of coils and allows for reduced pressure drop
  • Electronic actuators to replace pneumatic controls

Fire + life safety upgrades

  • Desigo Fire Safety Compact system for flexible, scalable fire protection that adapts to new conditions
  • Building X Fire Manager for remote, secure access and monitoring of the fire system

Contact us

Contact