SIENA UNIVERSITY

Siena University’s Nobel Hall in Loudonville, New York, adds 40,000 square feet of specialized laboratories and active learning space to the university’s science complex. An Automated Logic WebCTRL® building automation system gives facilities staff an intuitive platform for managing laboratory airflow, pressurization, heating, cooling and energy recovery throughout the facility.

Funded by a transformative gift from the Nobel family, Nobel Hall is central to the university’s goal of becoming the region’s leading institution for the sciences. Its mix of laboratory, research, instructional and office environments created demanding requirements for airflow, pressurization and occupant comfort, all while operating year-round in the Upstate New York climate.

For its new facility, Siena University wanted the building controls to be easier for facilities staff to operate than the system in its existing science building. Based on the university’s previous experience with Automated Logic installations and service, Siena specified the Automated Logic solution with no substitutions.

Eastern Heating and Cooling, the authorized Automated Logic dealer in New York, deployed the WebCTRL® building automation system (BAS) as the single controls platform for Nobel Hall. The solution integrates the new building with Siena University’s existing campus-wide WebCTRL front end, giving the facilities team a familiar environment for monitoring and managing building operations.

Laboratory airflow was a major focus of the design. A dedicated Laboratory Air Control System maintains room pressurization throughout the laboratory suite, while a 25,000 CFM makeup air unit uses energy recovery to reclaim heat from the exhaust stream before it leaves the building.

The controls solution integrates:

• One 25,000 CFM air handling unit with optimal supply-air setpoint selection and optimized static pressure control 
• Three BACnet® variable-frequency laboratory exhaust fans with isolation dampers and endswitch feedback 
• 29 Phoenix Controls supply-air valves and 33 exhaust-air valves for laboratory pressurization 
• A 25,000 CFM makeup air unit with a heat wheel, heat recovery coil and energy recovery 
• 36 VAV boxes with hot-water reheat and CO₂ sensing for demand-controlled ventilation 
• A three-boiler hot-water plant using outside-air and demand reset and serving both Nobel Hall and neighboring Roger Bacon Hall 
• A chilled-water plant featuring two BACnet chillers, variable-speed pumping and flow metering 
• 15 fin-tube zones for perimeter heating

Automated Logic’s open-platform approach also provides Siena University with access to WebCTRL tools, enabling its facilities team to self-perform modifications and maintain long-term control of the system.

The result is a building automation system that gives Siena University’s facilities staff clear, immediate visibility into Nobel Hall. Color-coded floor plans let operators view all five levels from one screen and quickly understand equipment and zone conditions without the additional interpretation required by the university’s previous science-building controls. 

Nobel Hall’s Environmental Index™ reads 99 percent, with virtually every zone operating within its ideal range. Laboratories, classrooms and offices maintain their conditions without manual intervention, while occupant comfort has improved compared with the university’s previous science facility. 

The WebCTRL system brings laboratory airflow and pressurization, heating, cooling and energy recovery together on a single familiar platform. That consistency also allows the facilities team to operate Nobel Hall alongside the rest of campus using the same controls environment. 

The project is also establishing a foundation for future expansion. Following the Nobel Hall installation, Siena University has committed to additional Automated Logic installations as its science complex moves into its next phase.

“Based on over 20 years of experience with Automated Logic with different employers and industries, I was pleased that the Siena Facilities team chose to specify Automated Logic with no substitutions. We now have a modern graphical interface that allows us to quickly see building conditions and easily troubleshoot issues. We look forward to converting the entire campus to Automated Logic.”