The lighting control system serves four main areas - a mock boardroom, which can also be used as a video-conferencing room; a teacher training area which has an extensive audio-visual installation; an exhibition room; and a café area. The lighting requirements vary substantially in detail from area to area, but the overall objective is always the same - to allow the lighting levels to be set quickly and easily to suit the particular activity that is taking place within the area.
Operon, the consulting engineers for the project, considered a number of options for meeting this requirement, including the use of equipment supplied by the manufacturers of the luminaires which had been chosen for the installation. After careful evaluation of these options, however, Operon decided to use equipment from the Clipsal C-Bus range.
"There were several important factors that influenced this decision," said Operon senior electrical design engineer, Max Bryan. "One of these was the breadth of the C-Bus range, which is much more versatile than the other systems we examined. Also, we were using distribution equipment from Schneider Electric's Merlin Gerin, and we knew that the Clipsal products would fit the same enclosures, and that full compatibility would be guaranteed.
"Finally," continued Max Bryan, "we were using luminaires from several manufacturers on the project, and we had concerns that, if we bought a control system from one of these manufacturers, they might be reluctant to guarantee its correct operation with luminaires other than their own. We knew, however, that Schneider Electric products are not tied to luminaires from a specific manufacturer, and that the company would fully support their use with any type of luminaire we wanted to use."
Schneider Electric worked closely with Operon on the development of the lighting system, taking Operon's initial proposals and transforming these into a finished design which maximises versatility, performance and value for money. Schneider Electric also provided support and assistance for Morfits, the electrical contractor responsible for installation work on the project.
The installation makes extensive use of Clipsal DSI dimmers to provide full control over 50 energy-efficient fluorescent luminaires. Additional C-Bus products are used to control 50 track-mounted spotlights in the exhibition area, together with a number of innovative LED-based luminaires.
The lighting control system also uses PIR sensors to control the lights in the corridors of the building. On the basis of signals from the sensors, the corridor lighting is reduced to a low level when the corridor is unoccupied, but increased immediately the presence of a person is detected. This arrangement saves energy while enhancing safety for occupants of the building.
