Main LV switchboards, sub-distribution boards and 40 special distribution boards have been supplied by Eaton MEM Circuit Protection & Control.

MEM engineers worked in partnership with electrical contractor Hills Electrical & Mechanical plc and consultants WSP of Birmingham to develop the special distribution boards which interface with a Building Management System and incorporate advanced lighting controls with the circuit protection devices.

Midsummer Place is supplied by two East Midlands Electricity 11kV/415V substations, for security. These feed two MEM Memform Form 4 cubicle switchboards, L1 and L2, providing three-phase supplies to different areas of the site. A third switchboard, L3, feeds essential services. This can be fed from either L1 or L2 and has provision for supply from a standby generator. Five more Memform cubicle switchboards provide sub-distribution while the special Memshield 2 panelboards provide final distribution and control.

The two incoming cubicle switchboards, L1 and L2, have 1250A and 1600A incoming air circuit-breakers respectively. Outgoing circuits are generally controlled by 100A or 200A fuse combination switches. The boards incorporate MEM power factor correction and surge suppression systems.

The essential services board, L3, has two bus sections fed from L1 and L2. Each section feeds services such as security lighting, pumps, sprinkler systems, fire alarms and evacuation systems. Interlocked air circuit-breakers enable either incomer to accept all these loads.

During the early stages of planning, Hills suggested that building management systems and lighting controls should be brought into the 40 Memshield 2 distribution boards for a tidier design and easier operation. MEM engineers worked with Hills, WSP, Eton (the BMS manufacturer) and Contec, the commissioning engineers, to produce an appropriate solution.

The systems are housed in Memshield 2 panelboard enclosures. Each board comprises three or four sections including a central section housing the lighting relays and contactors. Final distribution is provided by miniature circuit-breakers. These are mounted on Memshield 2 pan assemblies with 100A or 200A MCB incomers.

A feature of Midsummer Place is a 150 year-old oak tree which forms a centrepiece of the development and has been protected meticulously during construction. The 40,000sq m development is a natural extension to the existing shopping centre.

Total cost of the development is £170 million. The electrical contract is worth £3.5 million. The MEM content is valued at about £300,000 and was supplied through the Walsall branch of Newey & Eyre.

Developers are London & Amsterdam Developments Ltd. with funding from USS. Main contractor and project manager is Bovis Lendlease.