General News
Schneider Electric South Africa scores at Moses Mabhida stadium
JOHANNESBURG – January 17, 2011 – Like a well-choreographed musical score, the graceful and contemporary design of the Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban, South Africa, reaches an awe-inspiring crescendo with its grand arch, symbolic of the country’s flag, curving majestically over the playing field.
The supporting notes of this state-of-the-art, world-class stadium are the latest technology solutions, supplied by global specialists in energy management, Schneider Electric South Africa, which assist the stadium to effectively integrate and centralise its access control, CCTVs, fire detection and smoke control, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), lighting and sound systems.
“At Durban’s new stadium, Schneider Electric South Africa’s CitectFacilities has made it possible to manage the world’s best technologies both independently and collectively,” says Thiru Govender, managing director of E-view Digital Systems and member of the consortium “Siyaphakama Consortium”. The consortium, which also includes Netronix (Lead bid partner), Natal Locksmiths and ICC Technologies, won the bid to supply products and solutions and integrate these into one building management system at the Moses Mabhida stadium.
The stadium’s “Technical Room” has served as the system integrators’ “office” for the past 12 months and will remain the hub of all electronic equipment. It is a well- ventilated, clean and open space that takes full advantage of Schneider Electric’s open, standard-based technology, as well as enabling an accurate measurement of energy consumption. Through Schneider Electric’s Central Building Management system, two CitectFacilities unlimited redundant servers, the stadium’s HVAC, fire detection, lighting, Pelco Endura CCTV by Schneider Electric, audio amplifiers, Schneider Electric INET Access Control and electrical distribution are integrated to give stadium operators ease of use.
“CitectFacilities is a system that, from the start, is designed with true client-server architecture. Its strength also lies in the fact that it is a real-time monitoring and control system that ensures high performance response and integrity of data. This makes it not only easier to manage all system, but also delivers significant cost savings, both during installation and throughout ongoing operations. At the Moses Mabhida stadium, all integration roads lead to CitectFacilities, delivering one view and much storage space to offer a powerful analysis tool with built-in reporting and graphical process visualisation,” says coastal account manager, Cindy Montague at Schneider Electric South Africa’s Durban branch.
Other products and solutions by Schneider Electric South Africa that are employed at the Moses Mabhida stadium system and interface with the CitectFacilities include: TAC (access control, security, fire detection and smoke control) and Pelco Endura (CCTV cameras and joysticks), which provide a 360 degree view and motion detection recording. Moses Mabhida also boasts the first driver that was written to interface the Pelco video security equipment with the CitectFacilities system, APC by Schneider Electric uninterruptible power supplies (UPSes), as well as breakers and panels housing the MV switches in the stadium’s sub-station.
“We contracted engineers who, under extreme pressure, configured drivers in only three weeks so that the high-tech amplifiers, HVAC and lighting systems also interface with CitectFacilities and the results are phenomenal,” says manager at ICC Technologies, Shane Ramlall. “We were and still are extremely passionate about this project and can confidently say we won the 2010 bid owing to the strength of Schneider Electric’s products and solutions. In addition, the company’s technical competencies, expertise, credibility and commitment allowed us to fast-track the stadium project. So far, visitors to the stadium and participants in the sporting disciplines that have taken place have benefited from the automated technology without even realizing it, as all operates seamlessly.”
When the FIFA 2010 World Cup kicked-off and the 70,000 multi-coloured seats at the stadium were filled, few people were aware of the behind-the-scenes efforts that it took to make the Moses Mabhida stadium the technologically-exceptional stadium it is. Ironically, it was this invisible integration of sound, lights, cameras and security that needed to go unnoticed by athlete and spectator, for it to score its winning goal.
About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in energy and infrastructure, industrial processes, building automation, and data centres/networks, as well as a broad presence in residential applications. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, and efficient, the company's 100,000+ employees achieved sales of more than 15.8 billion euros in 2009, through an active commitment to help individuals and organisations “Make the most of their energy”. www.schneider-electric.com
CONTACTS:
Schneider Electric, Niconette du Toit, Tel: +27 (0)11 254 6400, e-mail: [email protected], Web: www.schneider- electric.co.za
PR Connections, Debbie Sielemann, +27 (0) 82 414 4633, [email protected]
Debbie Sielemann e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +27 (0) 11 465 3356 Mobile: +27 (0) 82 414 4633