Customer application 28 August 2020
Thanks to Intelligent Climate Control Technology, the Kreissparkasse Bank in Göppingen, Baden-Württemberg, Is Awarded Gold Certification by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)

The term “sustainability” is often overused; however, the Kreissparkasse bank in Göppingen, Germany has impressively demonstrated its commitment to sustainability throughout the course of its construction project. The environment, employees and customers all benefit from the results of the new construction and renovation, which combine energy efficiency with comfort. The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) awarded the new construction a gold medal for consistent execution of a green building design. The renovated building, constructed in 1974, earned a silver medal. In addition to design and architecture, intelligent climate control technology via WAGO’s state-of-the-art controllers is a key component of this picture-perfect building complex. Additionally, the optimized, energy-efficient construction benefited from the use of an extensive amount of comprehensive academic research.

The renovation and new construction of the Kreissparkasse bank was a complex undertaking and represents a milestone for the city of Göppingen. For many years, the bank’s employees were scattered across five locations. Today, they work in one location that spans an entire city block; the old building, constructed in 1974, was integrated into the project as a new wing. The double facades of the new ensemble, located on the Marktstraße, have a timelessly modern and functional appearance. The office and conference rooms are open and configured to facilitate communication; numerous gathering points and multi-purpose areas foster discussion among the employees. The customer center conveys a friendly and service-oriented atmosphere. Particularly surprising and eye-catching is artist Fritz Schwegler’s oversized “Hirsch mit dem roten Schal” [deer with the red scarf], which is displayed in the interior courtyard.

Kreissparkasse Bank in Göppingen:

Researchers on Site
Communication on the Highest Level
Cool in the Summer, Warm in the Winter
Energy-Optimized Construction
The Highest Demands of State-of-the-Art Building Automation

Researchers on Site

Benjamin Krockenberger is quite at home at “his” savings bank. He has been well acquainted with the building’s technology for years. While he is currently the Staff Engineer for Building and Energy Technology at the Kreissparkasse bank, he got to know the interior of the rambling complex as a research assistant to Prof. Markus Tritschler. Holding a Ph.D in engineering, Tritschler teaches at the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences; he applied his technician know-how to support the energy-efficient construction of the Kreissparkasse bank in Esslingen from 2012 to 2014. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy provided the university with research funds due to the importance of energy-efficient construction for environmental protection. The goal of the Göppingen research project was to monitor the installed building technology in order to make operation as economical and ecologically friendly as possible, while creating a comfortable atmosphere for employees and customers.

Far more than the usual amount of data was collected for the academic research side of the project. Around 2000 measured values entered a database every minute. “Temperature, consumption, valve settings, pump run times and much more was recorded and then evaluated,” explains Krockenberger in the basement. It is unusual for academic researchers to have been involved this early and to this extent in reviewing the energy efficiency of a renovation and new construction project

Professor Markus Tritschler and his team also broke new ground with their techniques. “Energy-Optimized Construction: Monitoring and Optimizing Operations at Kreissparkasse Göppingen” was the title of Krockenberger’s research project. Using statistical process control methods, he monitored the building’s heating and control technology over several years. In the process, he measured his recorded values against a defined reference process and was able to carry out early interventions to counter deviations by reconfiguring the building technology. Even before construction began, a series of laboratory tests were performed, the heating energy consumption was monitored on site, and the components of the HVAC systems were individually tuned. “It was already quite unusual that we measured, evaluated and optimized individual modules at this level of intensity,” reports the researcher, a professor of engineering from the Esslingen University Department of Building Services, Energy and Environmental Engineering. After concluding the research project in 2014, the academics continued their support activities by recording data and monitoring the operational optimization.

The employees can change the temperature, among other aspects of climate control in the building, by using a PC interface.

Benjamin Krockenberger

Engineer for Building and Energy Technology at the Kreissparkasse bank

Communication on the Highest Level

The instrumentation and control engineering in Göppingen’s new town landmark relies on WAGO solutions, like BACnet/IP Controllers and the associated configurators, in many areas. The integrated interfaces ensure excellent communication in the heating and cooling systems in the building. This is no trivial undertaking in a building that claims to meet the highest demands of modern building automation. “With WAGO’s intelligent modules, important information that must be communicated within an integrated building automation system is exchanged seamlessly,” explains Bernd Landmann, Department Manager for Building Automation at Heldele. This company, based in Salach, was responsible for the design and installation of the modern control technology in the building.

Cool in the Summer, Warm in the Winter

The energy concept is certainly compelling: The temperature in the office spaces is controlled using thermally activated components. Called “edge strip elements,” these are mounted under the ceilings near the windows and transport heat in the winter and cooling in the summer. Even though most temperature control is provided by the building’s concrete core, the individual needs of the employees are also taken into account. “The employees can change the temperature, as well as other aspects of climate control in the building, by using a PC interface,” explains Krockenberger. The entire heat management of the building is directed through a control center in an environmentally friendly way. This is ensured by two modern pellet boilers, with an output of 300 kW each. A heat exchanger that draws from the effluent lines adds to the efficiency of the heating and cooling.

Essential concepts for individual rooms and offices include a sophisticated ventilation system and lighting that mimics daylight, while also allowing individual controllers. The intelligent combination of several technical systems is the key to the building automation concept, which is based on consistent environmental sustainability. Bernd Landmann knows what type of qualifications are necessary for adjusting building automation components to function optimally with each other. “It was very important to us that the components be freely programmable.”

The employees can change the temperature, among other aspects of climate control in the building, by using a PC interface.

Benjamin Krockenberger

That is why he decided on technology from WAGO for many hardware and software components in the building. This enabled constant optimization of operations, which was in turn based on the insights gained from the academic research. Rainer Knodel, WAGO Systems Advisor for Building Automation, adds, “This aligns with our philosophy of providing users with the flexibility to use our products according to their needs. In addition, our new libraries and macros facilitate individualized use, as programming on site is no longer necessary, and all users need to do is to set parameters based on ready-made macros.” The HVAC libraries, which simplify and streamline the implementation of even highly complex HVAC applications, are one of the reasons that WAGO solutions were selected for the project, says Landmann.

“The HVAC libraries provided us with a comprehensive database at no additional charge, and we received extensive support from WAGO for customizing the libraries to our needs.” The standardization of the libraries and the scope of the available macros saved time and money during installation. “Whenever we develop a customer-specific solution, we feed the innovations back into our libraries,” explains Rainer Knodel. This allows WAGO to continuously develop their applications and to consistently adapt them to current market conditions. The employees of the Göppingen Kreissparkasse bank are already benefiting from the many intelligent solutions that provide them with a perfect work environment.

Text: Eva Koch-Banholzer, WAGO
Photo: Oskar Eyb/vor-ort-foto.de