Sun Microsystems Flexible Office

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Square detection zones provide 100% coverage grid with fewer detectors

The Sun Microsystems philosophy gets to the point: Sun solutions link up the world and demand integrated thinking, is the message in the multi-national computer group’s image brochure.

So it was clear to architects and planners that integrated thinking was called for in the design of the new Sun administrative building in Volketswil Hegnau, Switzerland – both visually and in terms of building technology. So it is that, over a floor area of 7000 m², a large number of Theben HTS presence detectors now ensure reliable and cost-effective operation of the lighting and ventilation system.

Theben HTS presence detectors from the ECO-IR C-Series, with their signature square detection zone and inrush current limitation for electronic ballasts, were used. The range is now available in the UK from Timeguard Ltd, a Theben company.

Sun has a flexible office philosophy which means that many of the staff no longer have fixed workstations: they simply log on wherever they happen to be. This means that the occupancy – and thus he lighting and ventilation requirements of different parts of the building are changing all the time and economic control involves responding to more than daylight levels and time of day. The use of sensitive presence detectors (instead of the rather blunt instruments that are traditional PIR detectors) enables the building managers to provide ideal combinations of lighting and ventilation levels for each building occupant at all times and with minimal energy consumption.

The specifier, Daniel Stadeli of Zurich-based Thomas Luem Partners realised that providing individual control of each room or area required the sophistication of HTS C-Series, which offer adaptive switching behaviour. In addition, their signature square detection area greatly simplifies planning. Using master-slave parallel circuit connections, he was able to design lighting for a large open plan office area with no gaps in presence detection. With more-traditional circular detection zones, almost twice as many detectors would have been needed to provide 100% coverage, he said.

Theben HTS C-Series presence detectors offer energy savings of up to 70% and are ideal for large areas such as Sun’s open plan office. They offer an 8m x 8m detection area with inrush current limitation to reduce peak currents and switching of up to 24 36-Watt electronic ballast.

Also particularly attractive in this range is the Quickfix system for flush mounting in hollow ceilings.

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