HVAC control system of the Moravian Library building, Brno

In 1999 construction began on the Moravian Library. The Library of the 21st Century is one of the most noteworthy constructions in the city of Brno.

The grand opening of the Moravian Library in Brno took place in March of 2001. It was an event for all involved in the Czech library profession. In the course of that year thousands of librarians and architects, as well as those of other professions came to take a tour and wonder at the concept of the building. Although the original thought behind the architecture was “Information flows are winding to enlightenment…”, it's really only seen in the fact that in the whole building you won't find a single right angle. On the other hand, the operation of the library and information services are carried out with simplicity and efficiency.

The implementation was entrusted to Tecont s.r.o. not only because of their experience in implementation and supply in the MaR profession, but also for their quality technical solutions based on control systems from the Czech company, TECO a.s. Kolin.

The control system of the entire building is based on the automatic control units TECOMAT NS950 RAPID, TC600, TECOREG TR300, TR141 (IRC) each covering a specific system part defined by function or location. Proper system operation is provided by communication channels for data exchange between individual modules mutually and between the main control room PC and the modules. 82 control units in total are connected to the system.

Control and monitoring of the following systems

• Exchange station, heating and domestic hot water
• Cooling engine room
• Air-conditioning for offices, study rooms, book storage, and restrooms - 44 units altogether
• FanCoil (IRC) unit control system - 67 rooms total
• Solar heating of domestic hot water
• Control of floor heating and cooling
• Control of natural ventilation
• Control of the energy saving facade
• Monitoring the fire detection system (EPS), elevators, fire escape doors, etc.

Visualization and control software for the control room is handled by the Reliance SCADA/HMI system. Standard functions normally found in this type of program are of course standard equipment of the environment which serves as a tool for control and operation of the entire building.

• Monitoring and control of systems in real time
• Archiving of selected data
• Creation and display of graphs (trends) of recorded values
• Creation and display of custom reports
• Defining users, access rights, and passwords
• Archiving and display of alarms, announcements
• Network communication via the TCP/IP protocol
• Communication via modems, radiomodems

Examples of visualization screens

Side view of the Moravian Library building. The glass energy saving facade is visible on the left.

From a floor plan of individual floors, a click of the mouse displays parameters of selected IRC modules

Overview visualization window makes switching between desired systems easy

Visualization of one of many air-conditioning units

Visualization of a heat exchange station

Monitoring of electric energy usage - tracking quarter-hour maximums