FEATURE LIGHTING Illumination is bjorn again!
The ability of LED lighting to reduce a building’s energy spend is well known. Here, Russell Fletcher, sales and marketing director at Harvard Engineering, discusses an LED installation at a Microsoft office in Stockholm, Sweden
I
f saving energy is high on your agenda then switching from outdated,
inefficient lighting has been proven to be one of the most efficient ways of achieving this. A study carried out in 2013 by the NHS Sustainable Development Unit and St George’s, London University, concluded that LED lighting, along with voltage optimisation and variable speed drives, is one of the three green technologies that can provide the highest energy savings and fastest payback. Lighting accounts for 40% of a typical
site’s electricity bill - a figure which can be slashed by 50% through the use of cutting edge lighting technologies and controls. LEDs have other well known benefits - their long lifespan reduces maintenance spend on lamp replacement; they are up to eight times more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs because they emit light in a specific direction; and they give off very little heat (so reduce the cost of air conditioning) and no ultra-violet light which can damage fabrics and furnishings.
Above: Microsoft
received ‘Sweden’s Most Stylish Office’ award for the refurbishment of its Stockholm office
THE DRIVING FORCE Using LEDs evidently has huge benefits but, to gain optimum energy efficiency, reliability and durability, they need the support of dedicated control gear – LED drivers. Every LED application requires a unique LED driver design, and the quality of the driver will have a significant effect on performance, efficiency and durability. Its main task is to provide a steady power supply to the LEDs to effect a constant light output in spite of possible power variations. Microsoft’s office in Kista, north west Stockholm, has recently undergone a major refurbishment and was recently named ‘Sweden’s Most Stylish Office’. Energy efficient lighting played a key part
who addressed the issue in her award winning design. The desktop areas have now been replaced with 1,800 alternative kinds of working spaces, ranging from sofas to small clusters of tables, so that employees can choose the setting that best suits their task. This has released 30% of the office space for more imaginative use.
THINKING CREATIVELY These new working areas feature a variety of colour schemes ranging from vivid, energetic spaces featuring acid yellow, turquoise and strong blues, to calmer working areas shaded in muted greys and mauves. Colleagues are able to work together in clusters around small tables, sit on high stools at counters or work in a more relaxed style on sofas. Choosing the right lighting and control equipment was fundamental to the success of the project. Not only did it have to provide a demanding level of flexibility but also maximum energy
Right: the refurbishment featured colour schemes ranging from vivid, energetic spaces featuring acid yellow, turquoise and strong blues to calmer working areas shaded in muted greys and mauves
Below: at the new offices colleagues are able to work together in clusters around small tables, sit on high stools at counters or work in a more relaxed style on sofas
in this and the project is a good illustration of how flexible and energy efficient lighting can effectively be used in the new style office where workers being tied to their desk is a thing of the past. Tablets, laptops and smartphones are
changing the way that we do business. Not only are we able to work on the move but, given a more innovative approach to office design and layout, we can also work more flexibly and creatively in the office environment. As such, prior to commissioning the revamp, Microsoft decided to investigate exactly how the existing space was being used. The results were surprising - researchers discovered that 75% of the 600 conventional desk spaces, which occupied around 60% of the premises, were not regularly in use. This finding was at the heart of the
company’s brief to interior designer Wivian Eidsaunet of Murman Architects
22 OCTOBER 2014 | ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
efficiency. The building’s low ceilings led lighting designer Ronnie Eckervig from Exengo to choose sleek and discreet recessed downlights throughout and the EDL62ZP from Lucifer Lighting Company offers up to 42˚ manual tilt, good glare control and is dimmable. The lights are driven by 30W CoolLED DALI drivers from Harvard Engineering. CoolLED constant current drivers
provide a solution for powering high brightness LEDs from a mains supply. Researched, developed and manufactured in the UK they offer programmable digital dimming and an energy efficient lighting solution that will contribute significantly to Microsoft’s energy savings.
Harvard Engineering
www.harvardeng.com T: 0113 383 1000
Enter 222 / ELECTRICALENGINEERING
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