McMaster University in Ontario is using technology from ABB to control and manage its legacy thermal systems and create smarter buildings.

Carmichael Engineering, a Canadian systems integrator, worked closely with ABB and its Cylon adaptable smart building platform to improve energy efficiency, enhance user adaptability and leverage innovative technologies in locations across campus.

The university wanted to upgrade many of its buildings to a flexible control platform to ensure better efficiency and building management, while simplifying control of elements such as air quality, temperature and carbon emissions. McMaster’s challenge lay in migrating legacy systems across campus, some with 1960s technology, and newly constructed digitally enabled smart buildings.

“To ensure interoperability, it was important to choose systems that can align with all environmental requirements and specificities,” said Alvin Baldovino, director of engineering operations at McMaster University.

The engineering team at Carmichael, which has been providing the university with mechanical and building automation services for 25 years, turned to ABB’s Cylon (new.abb.com/low-voltage/products/building-automation/product-range/abb-cylon) HVAC building automation platform, as it knew the platform’s flexibility was suitable for such a complex and extensive project.

“If you use your imagination and engineering skills, ABB solutions can be used well beyond their initial purpose,” said Robert Forest, Carmichael’s manager of projects. “These are highly versatile and can suit all environments, which yields innovation and significant value.”

The ABB smart building platform is adaptable because it can deliver a user-friendly and efficient system that converges multiple technologies in multiple buildings.

Five of the university’s facilities are now either using or developing innovative smart building technology with ABB hardware support for such a transition. Facilities include the McMaster Museum of Art; select campus laboratories, including a lab with a high-resolution electron microscope; and the under-construction McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery.

Transitioning to ABB controls has brought many benefits to the McMaster Museum of Art. With so many works of art inside the museum, maintaining precise air quality, humidity and temperature levels is crucial for artwork preservation. Sensors were integrated into the building automation system, and any deviation from set environmental parameters now sets off alarms. The upgraded platform also offers a more user-friendly operational environment for staff, facilitating efficient data comprehension, which translates into significant efficiency gains and plays a critical role in risk mitigation.

McMaster University is home to one of the highest-resolution electron microscopes in the world. The microscope requires extremely tight tolerance for temperature and humidity. Cylon efficiently maintains the environment and allows users to monitor critical parameters precisely.

The McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery, a ten-storey facility that is being built on McMaster’s campus, aims to be one of the university’s most sophisticated and sustainable buildings. The building will use ABB hardware to enable all systems to communicate and gather data, thereby facilitating reporting and resulting in prompt maintenance.

With creating safer, energy-efficient and user-friendly environments in mind, Carmichael (www.carmichael-eng.ca) adapted ABB’s smart building platform to create outcomes for McMaster University (www.mcmaster.ca), including:

• Safer environments: Real-time building status information and alarms enabled timely repairs and maintenance, ensuring the safety of staff and students.
• Energy efficiency: ABB’s technology, coupled with the user-friendly approach, streamlined operations, and continues to result in enhanced energy conservation and decarbonisation efforts.

The modernisation of legacy systems and the creation of smart buildings with ABB’s innovations exemplify the transformative potential of technology in educational institutions. The collective impact should lead to a more sustainable, energy-efficient and user-friendly environment.