Project information
GSA’s Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Features Innovative Wireless Lighting Controls
Magnum Innovations, a manufacturer of wireless, energy harvesting building controls and automation, is pleased to announce their involvement in GSA’s first targeted Site Net Zero, certified LEED platinum building located in Grand Junction, Colorado. The Wayne N Aspinall Federal Building and US Courthouse recently received a 2014 GSA Design Award Citation, with Westlake Reed Leskosky serving as the Design Architect and Building Engineers of Record and The Beck Group as the Design Builder and Architect of Record.
Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the $15M modernization and high performance green building renovation not only preserved an anchor in the Grand Junction community, but also converted the 1918 landmark into one of the most energy efficient and sustainable historic buildings in the country.
Magnum provided the innovative wireless lighting control strategy that was deployed in the building. This lighting solution consisted of motion sensors for occupancy based lighting control, as well as LUX sensors which measure ambient light to accomplish daylight harvesting. Lighting relays, wireless and battery free light switches, outdoor LUX sensors and powerstrips were also incorporated into the project.
The entire lighting system was integrated into the building’s existing Tridium based building automation system. In addition to the various controls implemented in office areas, the common space lighting is dimmed down during periods of unoccupancy and brought up to required light levels automatically when occupancy is detected. In addition to the individualized controls, there are master schedules associated with each of the buildings tenants. The occupancy based data that the sensors collect is also provided to the mechanical systems in the building for optimized HVAC related control.
What sets this wireless lighting control system apart is that the devices utilized are not only wireless, but also battery free. By utilizing the open, interoperable EnOcean radio protocol, occupancy sensors utilized in the building are “powered” from small solar cells that harvest available light in the space, which is a much more sustainable solution. With no wires to run and no batteries to replace, Magnum’s technology allowed for the building to achieve additional LEED related points and will have substantially less ongoing maintenance than a wireless solution requiring batteries.