The Riyadh-based Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University, which covers eight million square meters, will soon implement a new intelligent building control system and is also aiming to substantially cut its energy usage.

The leading power and automation technology group, ABB, won an order from Saudi Oger to implement its KNX system in all buildings at the campus, located near King Khaled International Airport.

ABB’s technology will allow university facility managers 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 the Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University project, which will be one of the largest universities in the Middle East,” said Ali Nazzal, a senior sales and operations manager for ABB.

Buildings that have implemented the ABB system have reported energy savings of up to 40 percent.

“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 become a benchmark for other universities looking to establish green campuses of their own,” Nazzal added.

Once completed, the university campus will have 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 the university, which aims to be one of the leading women educational institutions in the region.

Saudi Oger and ABB worked closely to provide a solution that would 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 for ABB Saudi Arabia.

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