IBT Development & Application Centre

The IBTDAC is a facility dedicated to the training of students in the Diploma in Intelligent Building Technology (Dip. IBT).  Possibly the first of its kind in a local educational institution, it is a double-volume structure spread over a floor area of approximately 900 m² and houses training areas for various Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) services and a Building Management System (BMS), briefing rooms and a roof terrace.

The M&E services serving the Workshop proper are essentially stand-alone systems, i.e. they are independent of the M&E systems serving the rest of the campus.  The facility has an independent Low Tension (LT) electrical supply, its own emergency generator, a non-operating HT switchboard, a transformer and a LT switchboard.  The air-conditioning needs of the workshop are met by its own primary-secondary chilled water distribution system, with the chilled water being generated by either an air-cooled chiller or a water-cooled chiller.  Air distribution is accomplished through a Constant Air Volume (CAV) and a Variable Air Volume (VAV) system, as well as chilled water fan-coil units (FCUs).  These major M&E systems, integrated via a structured cabling system are controllable from the BMS. The Workshop’s BMS is independent of the BMS serving the rest of the campus.

Other systems used for student-training include a see-through lift and escalator, lighting training system, and fire protection system comprising sprinkler and hosereel systems and an addressable fire alarm board.

All these industrial-grade facilities provide a realistic environment for the students’ hands-on training in the design, operation, integration and management of typical building services. The IBTDAC also incorporates the LONWorks™ Center of Excellence, jointly established by Polytechnic and Echelon Corporation for partnership with the industry. The Center provides training and performs applied research work via LONWorks™ networking technology. Some projects which have been/are being undertaken under the aegis of the IBTDAC include:

			-			Comparative Study of Air-Cooled vs Water-Cooled Chillers
			-			Modelling Indoor Air Quality in a Pedestrian Subway via CFD
			-			Modelling Smoke Movement in Buildings via CFD
			-			Effectiveness of Electronic Air Cleaner on AHU Performance
			-			Effectiveness of Evaporative Cooling Systems
			-			Non-Chemical Methods of Cooling Tower Water Treatment
			-			LONWorks™ Plug-In for VAV
			-			LONWorks™ Plug-In for Chiller Optimization

SMART Home

Imagine returning home after a hard day’s work, and all you need to do to enter your locked dwelling is to let a control panel scan your finger print, and presto, the doors click open! Or how about being able to keep a close eye on the goings-on at home while you’re at work somewhere else? Impossible? Welcome to the intelligent home where yesterday’s science fiction becomes today’s science fact. The dawn of the new millennium marks the advent of a new and exciting concept in home and living. To this end, the SMART Home, located in Temasek Polytechic’s Phase 3 extension, serves as an infrastructure benefiting the Polytechnic’s students, staff and relevant industries in the joint development of technologies for the intelligent home of the future

A collaborative venture between the Polytechnic’s Diploma in Intelligent Building Technology (IBT) and the home automation industry, the SMART Home is a fully furnished, mock-up home spread over 156 m2, and includes a reception area, living room, kitchen and master bedroom. The Home demonstrates how different e-systems can be integrated to exploit the capabilities of the "Total Smart Home" concept. It serves as a test bed for all home automation technologists and forms an excellent showcase and learning environment for students, staff and the home automation industry to create and exhibit their state-of-the-art technology. Some of the technologies exhibited in the SMART Home include:

			-			Control of Home Facilities via Internet and Telephone
			-			Intelligent Cabling Systems & Wireless LAN (WLAN)
			-			Power Quality Monitoring via the Internet
			-			Intelligent Electromagnetic Door
			-			Lighting Ambience Control
			-			Room Temperature Control
			-			Smart Messaging System
			-			Home Monitoring System
			-			Cyber Eye, Finger Scan

By working with interested parties within the building industry, Temasek Polytechnic can act as a catalyst in heightening public awareness of smart home technologies. More importantly perhaps, the Polytechnic will be well-placed to guide the judicious application of revolutionary technology to homes, thereby creating value for prospective home buyers.

Building Management & Security System Laboratory

This laboratory has Air-conditioning system comprising air and water-cooled chillers, primary secondary chilled water distribution system, Constant Air Volume (CAV) and Variable Air Volume (VAV) AHUs, as well as chilled water fan-coil units (FCUs).  It also has lift and escalator systems.

All these industrial-grade facilities provide a realistic environment for the students’ hands-on training in the design, operation, integration and management of typical building services.

Air Conditioning and Ventilation Laboratory

This laboratory has equipment that helps the students to have a better understanding of the subject.  The equipment includes psychrometric training set, cooling tower training set, chilled water air-conditioning training set and package unit air-conditioning training set.

All these facilities provide good hands-on training for the students in the area ranging from fundamental psychrometric process to practical chilled water air conditioning system.

Building Drawing Laboratory

The subject, Building Drawing is conducted in two laboratories, the IBT design studio and the IBT CAD laboratory.  Both laboratories consist of high-end workstations which support the latest Building Design CAD software such as AutoCAD, Architectural Desktop, 3D studio Viz and EON. With these enhanced software, the students will learn to design, interpret, visualise and simulate building models and different building services as well.

Electrical Services for Facilities Laboratory

Students can visit the electrical substation equipped with High Tension (HT) and Low Tension (LT) panels, power transformer, earthing system and generator set.  Though these real-life HT/LT panels are not ‘live” (for safety reasons), they are installed with a complete set of vacuum circuit breakers, protection relays/devices and measuring gadgetry that are currently used in the industry. The transformer is a stripped-down version; exposing the drums and coils to allow students to have a better understanding of the interior structure.  LT panels have transparent casings to reveal the bus-bars, Current Transformers (CT) and wiring that are within them.  Through visits to the electrical substation, students will gain first-hand knowledge of both HT and LT electrical equipment.  They are able to link concepts learned from books or from classroom to the ‘reality’ seen in real- life high voltage electrical substation upon their graduation and joining the industry.

Building Design Laboratory

Many of the CAD related subjects such as Space Planning and CADBS are conducted in two laboratories, the IBT design studio and the IBT CAD laboratory.  Both laboratories consist of high-end workstations which support the latest Building Design CAD software such as AutoCAD, Architectural Desktop, 3D studio Viz and Autodesk Revit Building. With such enhanced software, the students will learn to design, interpret, visualise and simulate building models and different building services as well.