The new Atlanta Braves ballpark— SunTrust Park — had its official debut to the public on Major League Baseball’s Opening Day. But what many of the more than 41,000 in attendance were most likely not aware of, however, was the many contributions by UTC Climate, Controls & Security brands — including Carrier, Automated Logic and Edwards, as well as Otis Elevator.
The ballpark, which hosted a pre-season game against the New York Yankees a few weeks prior to Opening Day, is being touted as one of the most technologically advanced ballparks in the country. In addition to the more than 1,350 Wi-Fi access points and 30 LED displays - including the 64-foot-tall-by-121-foot wide center field video board - the ballpark contains a number of cutting-edge building technologies that set SunTrust Park apart from other ballparks in the country.
“With our industry-leading products and unparalleled capability to create customized building solutions, UTC is uniquely positioned to design and
deliver innovative products for mixed-use developments like the new SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta,” said Bob McDonough, president, UTC Climate, Controls & Security. “We are proud to be a part of this large-scale project and are excited to showcase the innovative, sustainable and intelligent solutions that were selected.”
“When we were looking for innovative building automation, safety and cooling solutions, the brands of UTC, like Automated Logic, Carrier, Edwards and Otis were a logical choice,” said Mike Plant, president, development, Atlanta Braves.
Technology and innovation are baked into every aspect of the ballpark, starting with an advanced building automation system. Just like the team manager, the Automated Logic WebCTRL® building automation system provides strategy, giving building engineers the ability to fully understand the operations of the building and analyze the results for enhanced situational awareness and operational efficiency.
Specifically, the WebCTRL system is able to monitor all the building systems, including the Edwards and Carrier products that were also installed in the ballpark.
In the event of an emergency, innovative safety solutions from Edwards are on deck to keep visitors to SunTrust Park safer. The Edwards EST®3 emergency communications platform integrates fire alarm, security and mass notification / emergency communications (MNEC) functions into one system. A series of panels are customized by using an extensive selection of plug and play local rail modules. With support for 64 nodes of up to 2,500 devices each, the EST3 delivers a fast alarm response time across any size network.
The Edwards FireWorks® control system is able to provide real-time mass notification and insight into life safety and security events that may occur throughout the facility. FireWorks organizes life safety network information into visual on-screen quadrants that graphically display the facilities down to the detail of a single location. The FireWorks platform can be installed on a dedicated life safety network or on a facility’s network backbone to offer the tools needed to monitor, control and address emergency situations. The Edwards technology securely gathers, consolidates, disseminates and displays data, and controls key points throughout a facility or campus.
Behind the scenes, a powerful lineup of Carrier cooling and air handling systems ensure comfort throughout the ballpark’s facilities. Three Carrier AquaEdge® 19XRV centrifugal chillers provide large-scale, high-efficiency cooling while also being environmentally responsible, reliable and quiet. Also, 26 Carrier Aero® 39M air handling units and two custom 39CC units were installed throughout the complex. The recently reinvented Aero® 39M commercial air handler delivers greater flexibility and versatility through an expanded number of available sizes, configurations and additional features, making it perfect for any project.
Otis was selected to provide 26 transportation units at the stadium including 14 Gen2® elevators, which use flat belts instead of conventional ropes. This provides passengers with a more comfortable ride, greater reliability, more efficient operation and increased energy efficiency compared to roped elevators. Otis is also supplying 10 NCE energy-efficient, environmentally responsible escalator systems, one freight elevator and one service elevator.
Adjacent to the stadium, UTC building technologies are being installed throughout The Battery Atlanta, a 1.5 million square foot mixed-use development, featuring boutique shopping, chef-driven restaurants, an Omni Hotel, The Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre, 550 residences and more.