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Multi-national Building Efficiency team is helping to equip a new research center in Antarctica.

Antarctica is the driest, iciest, windiest, emptiest, coldest place on Earth and some might think it’s the last place that Johnson Controls would install a building management system.

Yet, thanks to the efforts of a multi-national team, the company will soon help equip a new research station at Larsemann Hills, located near Prydz Bay in East Antarctica. Once completed, Johnson Controls will have a business presence on all seven of the world's continents.

The solution will be installed at the new Bharati research station, a new base for India’s National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR). It will be used for studies in polar, oceanic and atmospheric sciences.

As part of the work for NCAOR, Johnson Controls Building Efficiency team members from Germany and India will configure, set up, run and test a Metasys® building management system in Germany, then deconstruct and re-install the solution in Antarctica, along with controllers enabled with remote capabilities via satellite.

Equipping the research center is not without its challenges, of course. One is that the German simulation is without real heating and air conditioning systems and actual set-up will occur only in Antarctica. The second challenge is ensuring the right spare parts are on hand for set-up or repair, because replacement could take weeks or months to transport.

Interestingly, the team does not believe the harsh Antarctic physical environment will affect the building management system. “Although the power plant is outside, our system, which will interface with it for information and control, is inside the building, so it should not be impacted," said Olaf Heyns, director, Service Center of Excellence Europe and Africa for Johnson Controls.

Remote maintenance –possible with a remote operator station installed at Goa, India and connected via satellite link – was an important part of securing the order.

“The remote capabilities we set up will monitor the system and help re-start it in the case of down-time,” Heyns said. “In addition, the customer will have access to our remote operation team in case of emergencies, should the on-site scientists and engineers need our support.”
METASYS® BUILDING MANAGEMENT
The Metasys® building management system from Johnson Controls ensures all of your building systems – comfort controls, lighting, fire safety, security and equipment – operate together in harmony. more
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