CASE STUDY GROUND CONTROL ACHIEVES NEW HEIGHTS

Home to Bolton Wanderers Football Club, the spectacular Reebok Stadium is virtually in a

league of its own. Designed by Lobb Sports Architecture, it is among the most stunning sports

stadia in Europe. It also features an extensive Trend building management system supplied,

engineered and installed by Preston-based Nobbs & Jones, who have considerable experience

of stadia projects.

Equipped to host a wide variety of

events, the 25,000 seater Reebok

stadium is more than just a football

ground. The extensive facilities within

its stands include a 32,000ft2 sports

and exhibition hall and a banqueting

suite that can seat 500. There are also

46 executive boxes.

The stadium’s building management

system incorporates over 20 Trend IQ

intelligent outstations of various sizes,

these being linked together on a 5km

long data highway that passes round

the whole ground. Providing a total of

some 800 input and output points, the

IQ outstations are responsible for

close control and monitoring of the

stadium’s HVAC plant, its car park

lighting and a pair of 500kVA diesel

generators. The latter supply part of

the ground’s electricity and are each

fitted with an IQ241.

Apart from on match days, when they

always provide power for essential

services, the two generators are only

operated if the cost of running them is

less than the prevailing price of mains

electricity. The economics are

calculated on a daily basis and if they

are favourable the IQs are preset to

switch on the generators (the following

day) and maintain their output at

whatever level is required. If a surplus

of electricity is produced it is exported

to the grid.

Through their close monitoring of the

machines, the IQs furnish the data

needed to calculate generator

efficiency, and to schedule

maintenance and fuel deliveries.

Other IQs exercise total control over

the dozen large air handlers that

supply tempered air to all areas in the

main stands. They regulate the units’

DX cooling and gas fired heating to

achieve a constant discharge

temperature, inhibiting their use if the

outside temperature is above or below

certain limits. In many of the areas,

including the executive boxes, local

temperature control is provided by split

air conditioners, while in others there

are panel heaters. Here the system’s

role is to switch the plant on and off in

accordance with occupation. In the

kitchens and serveries it operates the

heating and ventilation on the basis of

signals received from infra-red

presence detectors.

At present, the main operator interface

on the system is a Trend ViewPoint

touch screen supervisor. Through this,

actions such as setting the occupation

times for different areas are very simple

to achieve. One of the main reasons a

ViewPoint was chosen was that it

would make the BMS accessible to

many more of the stadium staff – not

just those familiar with computers.

Though many football stadia in this

country use simple, stand-alone

building controls, Bolton Wanderers

Trend Control Systems LimitedP.O. Box 34, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 2YF, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1403 211888 Fax: +44 (0)1403 241608 www.trend-controls.com

were quick to appreciate that

intelligent controls, network-linked to

form a centrally manageable system,

represented a cost-effective

investment with significant benefits.

Trend technology was chosen

because of its user friendliness,

flexibility and proven reliability. Indeed

Trend systems are now to be found at

a growing number of football grounds,

including those of Chelsea, Arsenal,

Coventry, Leicester, Derby County,

Celtic, Stoke and Huddersfield Town,

who play at the award winning Alfred

McAlpine Stadium.

Nobbs & Jones Ltd can be

contacted on 01772 655500.