COVER STORY Clear solution for Bold visions call for intelligent solutions. The new market hall in Rotterdam is an architectural milestone that brings a high quality of living and enjoyable shopping under a horse-shoe-shaped roof – with smart building services included. Diehl Metering is supplying the fixed network. Diehl Metering won the contract for automatic meter reading in the Rotterdam market hall through its intelligent and economic solution. Until the spectacular building was completed in 2014, the ideas of the Dutch architect Winy Maas created great challenges for all the players involved in the construction. The front and rear walls are made of glass panels and wire cables that allow the glass facade to stretch by up to 75cm in the event of a storm. Demanding – but solvable The aluminum cladding on the inside of the large arch may have permitted a lightweight construction, but it also created a complication: it reflects radio signals. 22 This was particularly challenging as some energy meters were hidden behind 400cm of reinforced concrete in the basement. Diehl Metering won the contract for automatic meter reading of the complex consumption situation inside the Rotterdam market hall through its intelligent and economic solution. Fifty-six shops on levels one and two were equipped with SHARKY 775 energy meters. The 228 apartments reaching up into the horse-shoe-shaped roof on levels three to 12 were also equipped with SHARKY meters. All meters measure the consumption of the combined heating and cooling system – and were supplied with integrated radio. Installation was completed by Diehl Metering together with partner Fortes Import. The successful design of the fully automatic reading in the fixed network was easier than originally imagined due to Diehl Metering’s powerful radio technology. Two IZAR RDC radio data collectors installed in the central market level METERING INTERNATIONAL ISSUE – 4 | 2015