For the new construction of the Intro Bergheim shopping centre with 22 retail units in the centre of Bergheim near Cologne, the focus was on the individual requirements for climate comfort as well as the most energy-efficient operation of the building services. In order to be able to meet the individual wishes of the tenants with regard to air conditioning, Intro Bergheim relied on an overall concept based on heat pump technology in combination with ventilation systems for decentralised air conditioning and ventilation. The Osnabrück branch of Zimmer & Hälbig GmbH planned and installed all the technical building equipment for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. The company, which specialises in the creation of so-called 360° building services concepts, opted for system technology from Daikin for the project in Bergheim. Having Daikin as a “one-stop” manufacturer for heating, air conditioning, ventilation and system control won over the project developers at Zimmer & Hälbig. For example, the Aldi and HIT grocery stores, the Expert electronics store and the public areas of the shopping centre are air-conditioned by Daikin systems. All other smaller shops are connected to the Daikin ventilation system.
At the end of 2019, Intro Bergheim, a modern retail centre with around 19,500m2 of retail and commercial space, opened in the centre of the district town of Bergheim in the Cologne region. An attractive shopping centre with a varied range of retail and food outlets now complements the cityscape where the local bus station used to be. Tenants include the Aldi and HIT grocery stores, the Expert electronics store and various smaller retail and food outlets. The bus station was integrated into the centre. The construction of the shopping centre on the site of the former bus station and close to the Bergheim DB railway station took place while bus and rail operations for local passenger transport continued, resulting in a somewhat cramped space.
Challenge: different tenant demands
The air conditioning technology trades were taken into account at an early stage in the planning of Intro Bergheim. A large number of the tenants had already been lined up ahead of completion (Aldi, Expert). In addition to highly efficient HVAC technology, great importance was placed on compliance with all statutory provisions of the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) with regard to the COP values of the building technology. Equally important were low sound pressure values, as Intro Bergheim is located in a residential area and the building services must therefore operate quietly. The major challenge was to bring the different planning wishes and specifications of the tenants under one proverbial “hat” during the ongoing construction phase.
The focus was on the individual requirements for climate comfort as well as the most energy-efficient operation of the building services for the new construction of the Intro Bergheim shopping centre with 22 retail units in the centre of Bergheim near Cologne.
System partner for 360° building technology
With over 190 employees at four locations in Germany, Zimmer & Hälbig GmbH is both a planning and construction company. Zimmer & Hälbig relied on Daikin's Total Solutions approach in order to air condition the retail and commercial space in Bergheim in an energy-efficient and climate-friendly way. “Our approach at Zimmer & Hälbig is to provide our customers with customised building services concepts and a system partner. With our employees, we take care of the planning, installation and maintenance and thus cover the entire spectrum of building technology. That's why we chose Daikin systems for Intro Bergheim,” explains Carsten Elixmann, Osnabrück branch manager at Zimmer & Hälbig GmbH. With its broad product portfolio, Daikin can cover up to 90% of the technical building equipment. Heating, air conditioning, ventilation and overall system control thus come from a single source, are perfectly coordinated and ultimately save installation and maintenance costs. In this way, interlocking systems can be optimised in terms of energy, maintenance and management, and combined without compatibility problems. Interface and cost reductions can be achieved during the life cycle of the building and, at the same time, substantial energy and CO2 savings can be made. Marcel Wünning, project manager for refrigeration and air conditioning systems at Zimmer & Hälbig GmbH, adds: “Other arguments in favour of Daikin were very good cooperation over many years, intuitive and customer-friendly usability and the safe functionality of Daikin solutions, as well as their friendly and competent customer service.”
Heat pump – ecologically and economically sensible
The Osnabrück branch of Zimmer & Hälbig GmbH developed and implemented the air conditioning concept in conjunction with Daikin and general contractor Bauwens. Due to the general conditions, Zimmer & Hälbig decided to use energy-efficient heat pump systems that heat and cool at the same time. Heat pumps generate up to 75% of the required energy from the renewable resource air. This makes ecological and economic sense. Due to the limited space available, all outdoor units were located on the parking deck above the shopping centre.
The combination of efficient heat pumps and ventilation units with heat recovery is highly effective.
Customised configurations for ventilation and air conditioning
Energy-efficient solutions to minimise costs over the total lifetime of an air conditioning system are of crucial importance for the retail sector. When it came to the large retail areas of Intro Bergheim, individual climate concepts were created together with the tenants to meet the different requirements of the building users. An electronics store, for example, naturally has different air-conditioning requirements from Aldi and HIT grocery stores.
Daikin offers commercial customers so-called Plug&Play complete packages, i.e. ready-to-use combinations of heat pumps (VRV technology or ERQ condensing units) for heating and cooling with Daikin ventilation units. This offers a high gain in efficiency and comfort all year round and makes installation easier and faster. The combination of efficient heat pumps and ventilation units with heat recovery is highly effective. Commercial buildings such as Intro Bergheim often operate in cooling mode, even though the outside air is too cold to be routed inside untreated. In this case, the heat in the exhaust air from the sales areas is used to pre-heat the incoming cold fresh air. Cold or warm outdoor air is preconditioned with the help of rotary heat exchangers in the ventilation units. However, an additional heating or cooling source is needed because heat recovery is not always sufficient to achieve the desired room temperature. Here, heat pumps from Daikin offer an energy-efficient solution. A heat pump supplies both the coil in the ventilation unit, which further heats or cools the fresh air, and the indoor units in the retail branches and offices. Marcel Wünning, project manager for refrigeration and air conditioning systems at Zimmer & Hälbig GmbH, explains: “Sourcing heat pump and ventilation technology from a single source has not only reduced costs but also guarantees smooth and secure communication between the two systems.”
Daikin's so-called Plug&Play complete packages are used at Intro Bergheim. These are ready-to-use combinations of heat pumps (VRV technology or ERQ condensing units) for heating and cooling with Daikin ventilation units.
Flexible rescheduling thanks to decentralised air conditioning concept
During the ongoing construction phase, a change of tenant necessitated rescheduling. Flexible rescheduling was no problem, thanks to the decentralised air conditioning concept. Even in the future, changes of tenants or conversions will hardly pose any problems for the building services, because with heat pump technology, every floor of a building can be planned decentrally and remain fully functional. In this way, the different requirements of future tenants can be addressed flexibly. If the property is sold or is slated for a different purpose, alternative usage can be achieved without problems or significant costs for the conversion.
Aldi:
The Aldi branch in Intro Bergheim has a sales area of 1,200 m2. The combination of a compact inverter-controlled Daikin ERQ condensing unit with R-410A for mono operation and a Daikin ventilation unit for a air volume flow of 6,600 m³/h provides air conditioning and ventilation. The system can respond flexibly to changing loads and be adapted to the tenant's needs. The office and staff areas attached to the sales areas are air conditioned by a split air conditioning unit with 6 kW cooling capacity. It is characterised by a low noise level and extremely low energy consumption. A Daikin ceiling unit is used indoors. It is characterised by its elegant design as the louvres are integrated into the ceiling.
HIT:
With a floor space of approx. 3,000 m2, the HIT branch is the largest retail space in Intro Bergheim. Here, too, an inverter-controlled ERQ condensing unit with R-410A refrigerant and a cooling capacity of 12 kW is used, as well as a VRV heat pump with a cooling capacity of 65 kW. They are combined with a Daikin ventilation unit that prepares an air volume flow of 25,700 m³/h. The sales area of the HIT branch is air conditioned by 15 Daikin ceiling cassettes, with two more indoor units installed in the sales area for fruit and vegetables. With a height of only 245 mm, the ceiling unit is the slimmest in its class; even narrow false ceilings are no problem. The unit can automatically switch between cooling or heating mode to safely maintain a preset temperature. However, it can also be used only for ventilation without changing the room temperature. The office and staff areas at HIT are air conditioned using a split system with R-32 refrigerant and 2.4 kW cooling capacity.
The sales area of the HIT branch is air conditioned by 15 Daikin ceiling cassettes, with two more indoor units installed in the sales area for fruit and vegetables.
Expert electronics store
The innovative VRV IV+ Heat Recovery with 80 kW cooling capacity and a heating capacity of 91 kW is used at the Expert electronics store with its sales area of 1,450 m2. The VRV IV+ system works with integrated heat recovery in the 3-pipe system, with energy drawn off for cooling purposes used elsewhere for heating. VRV IV+ Heat Recovery can provide both cooling and heating modes simultaneously. The 3-pipe technology can recover heat at a lower condensing temperature because it has two separate pipes for liquid and gaseous refrigerant and thus has a more even refrigerant flow. The result is greater energy efficiency because less energy is needed for heat recovery. The VRV IV+ Heat Recovery was combined with a modular ventilation unit in the Expert branch to treat an air volume of
14,400 m³/h.
Air conditioning is provided in the sales area by 22 ceiling cassette units. They are ideal for large spaces without false ceilings up to 3.5 m high, such as retail markets, while providing effective cooling or heating without loss of capacity. Five fan flap positions between 0° and 60° can be set using the remote control. An automatic air volume controller ensures an optimal feel-good climate for customers and staff.
At the Expert electronics store with its sales area of 1,450 m2, 22 Daikin ceiling-mounted cassette units provide air conditioning.
Public areas of the centre/mall
The other publicly accessible areas of Intro Bergheim are air conditioned by two inverter-controlled chillers with maximum energy efficiency, high efficiency and a heating capacity of 114 kW each. Suitable cooling is provided by an air-cooled multi-scroll chiller with high efficiency, reduced sound pressure level and a cooling capacity of 138 kW.
Four further inverter-controlled ERQs in combination with a Daikin ventilation unit with an air volume flow of 31,200 m³/h also provide air conditioning and ventilation for the mall's public areas and commercial spaces. In addition to high efficiency, they ensure a quick response to the changing loads which can arise in public areas due mainly to very different and time-dependent customer footfall. Even in seasonal transitional periods, the system reacts quickly to temperature fluctuations and guarantees a comfortable feel-good climate at all times.
Simple control unit and intelligent energy management
Daikin offers comprehensive control management of the entire building technology, integrating not only its own systems but also devices from other suppliers. By automatically controlling the individual indoor units or shop areas via user-friendly remote controls and a Plug & Play connection between heat pumps and ventilation units, all systems can be controlled decentrally and individually. Intelligent energy management optimises the performance of all devices around the clock. Savings can also be made on ongoing energy costs by making appropriate settings for the time before the shop opens/after it closes.
Zimmer & Hälbig's overall concept with Daikin's system solutions, each with customised decentralised combined systems for air conditioning, heating and ventilation, has been working smoothly and without complications since the opening of Intro Bergheim. Zimmer & Hälbig also takes care of all maintenance and servicing of the technical building equipment.
