Principal Place, a new mixed-use development in the borough of Hackney, has selected Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, to provide the digital backbone for Principal Tower, the landmark apartment tower within the site. At 175 metres tall, 50 storeys, and containing over 300 apartments, it is one of London’s tallest and largest residential buildings

Principal Tower, designed by Foster & Partners, is pioneering in London hotel-style living, offering the highest possible apartment standards and service. The building is also designed for energy efficiency, with environmental strategies including a combined heat and power plant, and roof-mounted photovoltaic panels.

Principal Place wanted to create a future-proof building that met the toughest criteria for flexibility, reliability, energy efficiency and sustainability. To this, it chose to use Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ Building Operation software.

The EcoStruxure solution acts as an all-in-one BMS for the tower, delivering optimisation in every operation. The system plays a pivotal role in reducing energy consumption and expenditure, while also enabling operators to drive greater cost savings through a better understanding of energy, through a single platform. It integrates with smart home technology to meet the needs of owners, operators, and occupants.

Crucially, EcoStruxure™ Building Operation also gave the Principal Place team the ability to work with multiple systems and have real-time insight into operations, displaying data on a single dashboard. The ability to have visibility of all building issues prior to any reactive, emergency events or tenant complaints enabled the team to provide the level of service required.

Daniel Jordaan, General Manager at Principal Place Residential, said, “The EcoStruxure architecture is able to log, monitor and predict trends in energy consumption, ultimately allowing us to meet green initiatives and be environmentally friendly. It keeps costs down, energy down, and provides the perfect, customisable environment for occupants – it’s as simple as that.”

Westley Thurley, Digital Buildings Sales Director at Schneider Electric, added, “The EcoStruxure Building Operation helps to bring transparency to Principal Tower. The platform provides building managers with visibility into operations and empowers them to intervene effectively to drive improvements and efficiencies. With new technology constantly being developed and implemented, the system will enable owners, operators and occupants to be as efficient and proactive as possible for the duration of the building’s lifecycle.”