When we talk about healthy spaces, we can’t overlook the biggest space of all: our planet. And since buildings are typically responsible for about 40 percent of the planet’s total energy consumption, creating healthy building strategies to decrease energy consumption is critical. Unfortunately, no two buildings are alike – and that’s especially true when it comes to multipurpose facilities like the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Assessing the facility’s unique goals for sustainability and community engagement, therefore, resulted in equally unique solutions for reducing energy use.

Metasys® Building Automation System

This industry-leading building management system enhances occupant comfort, safety, security and productivity while providing system control and easy access to building data. It coordinates control of fire, security and lighting systems while streamlining facility management.

• Serving as the “glue” between the individual HVAC, lighting, security and protection systems, Metasys® provides the FieldHouse team with a single platform that delivers the critical operating information they need. This, in turn, allows arena personnel to make more informed decisions on how to improve visitor comfort and safety while still improving overall system efficiency. Metasys® has also enabled the building operations team to troubleshoot issues and implement system changes more easily.

Central Plant Optimization

In large facilities like the FieldHouse, the central plant is typically the biggest user of energy and the biggest contributor to comfort. In these facilities, central plant uptime is critical, and so is optimizing efficiency. The next generation of Central Plant Optimization (CPO) software from Johnson Controls gathers realtime data from control systems, meters, weather forecasts and utility rates to optimize the operation of chilled water, hot water, steam and co-generation plants. It can help cut utility costs, meet sustainability goals, extend asset life and avoid costly, unplanned downtime.

• Central Plant Optimization (CPO) powered by OptimumEnergy™ and Metasys® help optimize the arena environment, maximizing energy efficiency and ensuring the central plant’s major components work optimally together.
• The Central Plant Optimization (CPO) software deployed for the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse uses predictive algorithms to minimize costs – not just energy use. This proven, patented technology leverages up-to-the-minute data from a variety of inputs, including data gathered from connected equipment and systems, in addition to external information like weather and maintenance schedules. This helps the arena’s operators optimize cooling, heating and power generation in a holistic way. This approach also helps inform both plant design and operating decisions that minimize life cycle costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and delivering reliable utility services.

Contrary to popular perception, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t result in significantly reduced building operating costs for most facilities, despite lower occupancy rates. At the same time, facilities like the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse needed to make investments in systems that increase the health profile of their buildings as part of their return-to-venue plan. These overlapping and interwoven business conditions have only underscored the need for flexible building platforms and technologies.