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Customer application 3 February 2022

Alter Wall: Automation that Allows Future Expansion

Entertainment, work, shopping – all under one roof, behind a natural stone facade listed as a historic monument, located in the middle of Hamburg city center. The large-scale “Alter Wall” project is ambitious in several aspects. It will provide 15,000 square meters for the finer things in life and another 18,000 square meters for modern workplaces. Combining these very different uses places specific demands on the building automation. WAGO controllers perform important communication and gateway functions in a close-knit network.

It is the longest historical facade in Hamburg and is being thoroughly renovated and equipped with modern technology. Directly across from the Rathaus, a completely new world is coming into being at the “Alter Wall” (originally part of the old city fortifications). At one time, it formed the imaginary boundary dividing the historical city center from the new districts, which can be seen in the form of the Alsterfleet canal. While the retailers at the Neuer Wall shopping street (the “new fortification”)belong to the exclusive luxury market, the historical city center from Mönckebergstraße to Spitalerstraße offers a diversity of market experiences. But the Alter Wall complex reduces the importance of this boundary – thanks in no small part to a new bridge over the Alsterfleet canal. A lively boulevard filled with upscale retailers, exclusive office properties and fine restaurants: this was the goal pursued by Art-Invest Real Estate, the project developer and investment company. The company, headquartered in Cologne, regularly invests in well-situated commercial properties in Germany’s largest cities. Among them, the “Alter Wall” renovation project stands out due to the technical migration.

Large-Scale Project: “Alter Wall”

The WAGO I/O System 750 coordinates the technology of the office areas and shopping mall.
52 system distributors and 54 WAGO controllers are used in electrical sub-distribution boards for the individual office areas.
In the office areas, 40 additional ETHERNET controllers provide lighting control and automated sun shading based on weather conditions.
Local operation is enabled by touch panels.
On the roof, four weather stations based on WAGO flexROOM^® Weather measure the weather conditions to support efficient building operation.

New Technology in an Old Building

The versatility and modularity of the technologies used for the building automation is immensely important, especially in a project as complex as the Alter Wall with its multi-faceted use requirements. As the control unit, the WAGO I/O System 750 plays multiple roles: It coordinates the technology in the office areas and shopping mall, collects data from sensors and individual room controllers through KNX and represents the interface to the higher operating and management level via Modbus TCP/IP. In addition, 52 system distribution boxes and 54 additional WAGO controllers are used in the electric sub-distribution boards for individual offices areas, and touch panels are used for local operation. In the parts of the building that are primarily rented out as offices, 40 additional Ethernet controllers in the sub-distribution boards provide lighting control and automated sun shading based on weather conditions. Four weather stations are used on the roof for this purpose; on the basis of the WAGO flexROOM^® Weather distribution box, they measure variables including outdoor humidity, outdoor temperature, global radiation, wind speed and direction, rain, light and twilight in order to obtain valuable information for efficient operation of the building technology.

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Well-Equipped for Future Building Demands Thanks to Open Systems

Whether district heating, lighting, heating, cooling control, ventilation control or smoke extraction: All the individual functions of the technical building equipment are divided into separate areas. The physical separation of the complex into three sections allows autonomous operation of each, since they have their own power supplies and operating and management levels. For the owner, Art Invest, this clear separation provides an additional advantage that the building parts can be sold independently without any restrictions on the building technology. This company develops projects for long-term owner occupation. “We construct and renovate buildings for human beings and are about more than just profit,” emphasizes Christoph Stephan, Senior Investment Manager for HVAC and Building Services at Art Invest. Against this background, the company has a preference for systems that can expand and grow along with a building. “We want to become more digital,” says Stephan. “When selecting machines, bus systems or ICA technology, durability and good permanent features are important.”

A Variety of Interfaces for Individual Project Needs

Art Invest collaborated closely on the Hamburg project with the engineering firm Planungsbüro Petersen Ingenieure from Flensburg. The entire project was implemented by VM-Technik from Hamfelde. “We incorporate building trades and construction planning into the design,” explains VM-Technik CEO Klaus Mayrhofer. His company cooperates closely with WAGO as a solution provider. “These are reliable products; we’ve never experienced a defect during operation, so we consider them important for operational reliability.” Another primary reason that the building technology specialists, located east of Hamburg, use the WAGO I/O System is “because, with its universal components and interfaces, we can build applications precisely as we need them.” According to Mayrhofer, such profound modularity is “pretty rare on the market.”

Author: Thorsten Sienk

Contacts at WAGO

Stephan Lampe, Project Sales, Northwest Germany Region

Contact: info.projektplanung.de@wago.com

Product Overview

WAGO I/O System 750/753

Controllers

Touch Panels (HMI)

WAGO Weather Station

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