10 Gresham Street, an award winning, landmark office development project carried out on behalf of Standard Life Investments has a flexible office environment that can be changed easily over time thanks to a LonWorks open system infrastructure and control technology.
The system has integrated the fan coil units, lighting, blinds and main plant, to bring all these services under a fully integrated building management system (BMS). Echelon iLON 1000 routers enable web-based access to the BMS, either locally or remotely via the Internet. This approach has, for example, allowed the staff to have localized control of over 800 blinds, which are incorporated into the façade, except when overridden centrally for setting to a solar shading position in order to reduce air conditioning costs.
Saturo Controls were responsible for the design of the open LonWorks network and implementation of the integrated lighting, window blinds and HVAC controls for this development. Saturo assisted the client in selecting a solution that provides an open standard platform whilst not locking the client in with one supplier or manufacturer. This has assisted with the ease of tenant fit outs and has provided the building with a sustainable controls network infrastructure which will last the lifetime of the building.
For the lighting control element, the solution was found in using components from the Philips LightMaster Modular range, a new flexible lighting management system from Philips. The principal lighting control module can be installed rapidly in a single fix operation and its modular construction allows for choices in lighting control technology that includes a Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI).
The lighting control system provides an infrastructure that allows lighting schemes to be changed whenever required for new users, new office layouts or new building/space usage, usually without the need for new wiring. With the infrastructure in place, the tenant can easily add functionality. For example, presence detection and daylight linking can be implemented to increase energy efficiency, as well as introducing innovative lighting solutions to maximise employee comfort and performance. And thanks to the system’s ready integration, together with its scalability and flexibility, the Facilities Manager has a really accessible tool to manage the whole lighting installation. Not only can it be used to issue building wide control commands, but it can also monitor lighting use and assist with preventive maintenance.
Thanks to LonWorks, the ability of the system components to accept a range of local overrides, including movement detectors, multi-sensors and scene setting controls is a major user benefit. For the office users, this possibility to control the light locally at their own workspace makes for a more comfortable and stimulating working environment.
The Philips lighting control system supports compliance with the latest European lighting norms, where both energy efficiency (Energy Performance in Buildings Directive) and comfort (EN12464-1 – Indoor Lighting Design) are high on the agenda. With its highly scalable architecture and upgradeable on-board functionalities, the Philips lighting control system has been designed to evolve to keep pace with future lighting and building regulations in areas like employee comfort, safety and energy consumption – without major system changes.
In the application at 10 Gresham Street, the use of Philips lighting has delivered a fast and flexible installation, while the open LonWorks platform has allowed integration with the TAC building controls and the Honeywell HVAC controls. Philips has recently entered into a commercial partnership with TAC, a leading provider of building automation solutions based on LonWorks open integrated systems for building IT, in order to make available their combined services for comfort, security and productivity to European developers and building occupants.
The overall energy efficiency of the building has won the Building Research Establishment’s highest award: The ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating, demonstrating the energy saving properties of LonWorks open systems.