Modern cultural centers with ABB building automation

Porta Posnania and the Dialogue Centre Upheavals in Szczecin are equipped with ABB intelligent building automation solutions that also save energy

Two well-known Polish historical centers, the Porta Posnania and the Dialogue Centre Upheavals in Szczecin, are equipped with a whole range of intelligent and energy-saving building automation solutions from ABB. Both institutions are prominent examples of Polish architecture and successful attempts to create a modern museum space in which the visitor’s comfort is as important as the exhibit itself.

Outstanding Polish architectural designs are increasingly gaining international recognition. Numerous national and foreign awards have been won by Polish architects for cultural buildings such as philharmonic halls and museums, and these are often packed with modern building control technologies.

Gateway to modernity

The Porta Posnania in Poznan is an example of how a modern minimalistic cube can be integrated successfully with historical Polish architecture. It houses an exhibition in which more than a 1,000 years of history on the Cathedral Island within the fortified settlement of Poznan is told by multimedia and interactive devices.

The InterControls project, launched in 2015, is a comprehensive intelligent building automation system for lighting and temperature control, based on modern ABB solutions. They were used both in the old forts that serve as the entrance to museum and lobby, as well as in the glass tunnel, which spans the river and the newly built museum.

“In this project we have used ABB’s extensive product portfolio,” explains Łukasz Będziński from the ABB Electrification Products division. “These included a control system for lighting throughout and heating, roller blinds in conference rooms, as well as presence sensors in common spaces and video door intercom systems. We also supplied electricity meters to measure energy consumption, which communicate with the building management system.”

The biggest challenge for this project was the old, historical part of the center, which was under the watchful eye of the conservator of monuments. This required a more classic approach regarding styling of modern products. The overall result was a design by Ad Artis Emerla Wojda, which was awarded the prestigious Giovanni Baptist Quadro Award. The Porta Posnania was also recognized in the 8th edition of the nationwide “Poland Growing Beautiful – 7 Miracles of EU Funds” contest and was nominated for the European Union’s most important architectural award – the Mies van der Rohe Award.

 

Breakthrough technologies in the museum

The Dialogue Centre Upheavals in Szczecin has been named World Building of the Year 2016 at the World Architecture Festival. The author of the project was architect Robert Konieczny from KWK Promes design office. The interior of the building, part of which is located underground, is equipped with the KNX building automation system. It is used to illuminate exhibits, with presence sensors managing lighting in common areas, as well as having an advanced heating (including underfloor heating) and cooling system. INLOGIC was the main contractor and used ABB products and systems, including ABB’s low-voltage switchgear.

“Both the Porta Posnania and the Dialogue Centre Upheavals are very prestigious projects for us,” said Łukasz Będziński. “Modern building automation solutions are today a very important element for public spaces. Controlling the ‘climate’ – light or heat – has a big impact on how guests spend their time visiting a museum or perceiving individual exhibits and the exhibition as a whole.”

The Dialogue Centre Upheavals is devoted to the latest history of the West Pomeranian region. The permanent exhibition includes groundbreaking social and political events of 1939-1989.

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