ABB, the power and automation technology giant, has won an order from Saudi Oger to provide its KNX intelligent building control system to Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University, world’s largest female-only university located in the Kingdom.

As per the contract, ABB will implement its 'intelligent building control system' in all the buildings at the university’s new site, located adjacent to King Khaled International Airport.

ABB’s KNX-based technology will allow university facility management to automatically and remotely control lighting and shading through one single interface, enabling significant reductions in energy usage.

KNX is a global standard for home and building automation control, designed to increase comfort and energy efficiency.

“ABB is proud to be a part of the new campus for Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University project, which will be one of the largest universities in the Middle East,” revealed Ali Nazzal, senior sales and operation manager for Smart Home and Intelligent Building Controls, ABB Saudi Arabia.

“Buildings which have implemented ABB’s KNX technology have reported energy savings of up to 40 per cent. As the first green building campus in Saudi Arabia, we believe that Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University will further the drive for significant cost savings and a lower carbon footprint in the Kingdom’s construction sector and be a benchmark for other universities looking to establish green campuses of their own.”

Once completed, the university campus will be eight million square meters in total, with approximately three million square meters of built-up area. The campus will include an administration building, a central library, conference centers, 15 academic faculty buildings, several laboratories, as well as a state-of-the-art 700-bed hospital.

Saudi Oger is one of the main contractors for Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University which aims to be one of the leading female educational institutions in the region. Saudi Oger and ABB worked closely to provide a solution that would increase comfort levels and significantly reduce energy consumption.

“We’ve witnessed increasing demand for smart building solutions in Saudi Arabia, not only because of increased energy savings but also due to a desire for technology that automates basic functions such as lighting and shading,” said Adel Jaber, low voltage products business unit manager, ABB Saudi Arabia.

“As electricity consumption increases by eight percent year on year there’s a need for such technology which will enable Saudi to become a more energy efficient country.”-TradeArabia News Service