The Karlsruhe Hospital in Germany has become distinguished throughout Europe for more than just its level of care.

The hospital has become a showcase of cutting-edge technology which boasts one of the most advanced Building Management Systems in Europe. The state-of-the-art sun shading project started in 2002 at the specialist care centre and is one of the many European projects that have successfully used a Vestamatic control system.

At the Karlsruhe hospital, the motorised sun blinds are spread over multiple facades in several large buildings and the complex control criteria include sun, wind, rain and frost sensors. To have wired the blinds conventionally would have been hugely labour-intensive as well as raising the possibility of an unsafe fire load. It would have required large and complex cable ducting and would have failed to provide the flexibility and reliability that is paramount in a modern hospital. Additionally, it would have been difficult to make alterations to single blinds in the event that requirements changed. After considering a variety of options, the contractors decided to install the German-made Vestamatic control system in a decision that was more than just patriotic: they say that the Vestamatic solution truly met their requirements. Having discussed in detail the operational requirements, a package was prepared and a Vestamatic Building Management System was put in place to provide a high-tech solution which required minimal wiring and provided maximum peace-of-mind for the contractors.

The first phase of the central control system was used to operate a series of external Venetian blinds which required a wind sensor, a wind direction sensor and a frost sensor as well as eight sun sensors. The weather sensors were mounted on the roof of the building and fed directly into the decentralised sensor box. This then sends the weather data to the Vestamatic Building Controller which raises and tilts the Venetian blinds with precise synchronisation. Just six months after the first installation, the customer decided to extend the system to control an additional 240 blinds – a variety of Venetians, rollers and verticals. The simple installation of an Intelligent Motor Controller meant that the blinds could be operated individually, as a room or in pre-defined groups as required. As the building development continued and further phases were added to the system, the Vestamatic technical team were able to remotely access the system to program and configure additional motors. This saved huge amounts of time on site and is just one of the reasons why the state-of-the-art Vestamatic controls were chosen for this project.

Vestamatic have been designing and manufacturing top quality control systems in Germany since 1978. The technology is now available in the UK from Motus Systems who are pleased to be the distributors of Vestamatic goods in this Country. Motus said that they were delighted to be including the Vestamatic controls in their range and they feel that the quality of the goods fit in well with their existing lines.

Motus Systems are independent motor specialists who say they have the experience and the expertise to handle motorisation projects of any size and they specialise in creating bespoke automation systems that correspond exactly with the requirements of their client. Motus said that because of its independent status, they are not tied to any one manufacturer and they are careful to select products that are in keeping with the ethos of the company: “We have access to a wide variety of manufacturers and we specialise in sourcing the products that are most suitable for any given application and we will not promote any products that don’t meet our demands in terms of quality and reliability.”

Motus says that its experience in the motorisation industry has given them an understanding of the market and they realise that every project is governed by unique requirements. Motus also appreciates that operational requirements can change and it believes that it is crucial to have a supplier that has the flexibility to source products from more than one manufacturer.

Motus System is based in Bristol and its product range includes tubular motors for shutters and awnings, battery operated roller blind systems and motorised barrel kits as well as motorised curtain tracks and skylight systems. The coming months are set to be exciting as the company begin to promote its new range of curtain track motors – the EasyTrack Plus.

• Motus T: 0117 9653100