Delmatic sharpens lighting performance at The Blade
A Delmatic lighting-management system is achieving energy efficiency and a high level of flexibility in a new office development in Reading. The system has helped The Blade achieve a ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating and offers incoming tenants the freedom to modify the system to suit their needs.
The Blade provides 15 storeys of office space, a 9-floor block of 32 residential apartments and a 2-level riverside restaurant. The lighting was designed by Ramboll UK and installed by NG Bailey.
The system uses Metro One Ten 10-port plug-in modules with DSI dimming, Metro routers, Metro presence detectors and multisensors, along with head-end software and active graphics, to provide fully flexible addressable dimming control of lighting in office areas.
Ceiling-mounted PIR detectors switch lighting on when required and then off after a software-adjustable time-out period. These sensors are plugged into device input ports at the ceiling-mounted lighting-control modules and configured through software to control the luminaires.
Each floor has a router to optimise data transmission. Routers have LCD panels to enable lighting to be tested, global commands (all on, all off, dimming levels etc.) to be broadcast and emergency-lighting tests to be initiated. The system also keeps notional corridors illuminated when associated office areas are in use.
Individual addressing of each luminaire provide tenants with a fully expandable and customisable system, making it easy to reconfigure lighting through the graphical head-end software. Tenants can enhance the system in their own area to include telephone or web-browser control.
The head-end software displays the active status of lighting and provides information on luminaire run times. All configuration changes are made through the software, including time-out periods of sensors.