Sophisticated lighting control system from Clipsal for Leeds Metropolitan University

(09/01/2008)

When Leeds Metropolitan University decided to acquire and completely refurbish a former BBC television studio, it found that a sophisticated lighting control system based on products from the Clipsal brand of Schneider Electric was the key to maximising the versatility and convenience of the facilities within the new premises.

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.

In the mock boardroom/video conferencing room, the lighting control system is configured so that users can instantly select one of four preset lighting scenes. The scenes have been devised to suit normal boardroom use, boardroom use in conjunction with audiovisual equipment, and video conferencing. When necessary, the scenes can be modified or refined easily and quickly.

A similar multi-scene arrangement is provided for the teacher training area. In this case, however, advantage has been taken with the ease of which C-Bus lighting control products can be interfaced with external systems. A link to the AV installation means that, when one or more of the room’s multiple AV projectors are switched on, the lighting levels are automatically adapted to suit.

The same approach has been adopted in the café area to reduce lighting levels adjacent to the television when it is in use. Finally, in the exhibition area, flexible control is provided over the track-mounted spotlights so that the lighting set up can be quickly adapted to suit any type of display or event.

A colour touch screen in the exhibition area provides a convenient and intuitive user interface for the whole installation. With the aid of the screen, the preset lighting scenes can be modified and updated, and all of the luminaires can be individually manually controlled. The touch screen also gives access to an emergency lighting test scene, which makes it easy to check that the luminaires required for emergency lighting are operating correctly.

Further refinements to the installation include a connection with the building’s fire alarm system which, in the event of an alarm, ensures that all luminaires are instantly set to maximum brightness, irrespective of the scene and user settings currently in use. A first person in/last person out feature is also provided, which turns selected lights on when the first person enters the building, and ensures that all lights are turned off when the last person leaves.

“The installation work on the lighting installation is now finished, and the initial stage of commissioning has been completed,” said Max Bryan, “all that remains is to make a few final adjustments when all of the audio-visual equipment is working. Already, however, Leeds Metropolitan University is very pleased with the installation and, in particular, with the versatility it provides and how intuitive it is to use.”

“From a maintenance point of view, the system also provides big advantages,” he continued, “as it makes testing and fault location fast and easy. Overall, the installation is a great success and, even at this early stage, it is playing an important role in enhancing the usability and convenience of the University’s new facility.”

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