Codes & Standards: Lighting
Log On For Lamp Recycling
Engineers and lighting designers can now access useful information on fluorescent and high-intensity-discharge lamp recycling at a new Web site—www.lamprecycle.org—sponsored by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Rosslyn, Va. The Web site includes information about federal and state regulatory lamp management requirements, state regulatory contacts, a list of compan...
New products literature
Magnetic-drive pumps are specifically designed to handle difficult fluids such as corrosives, pollutants, ultrapure liquids and toxics. This seamless pump can handle flows up to 1,500 gpm at 2,900 rpm and 1,760 gpm at 3,500 rpm. (Model ICM by Goulds Pumps) Circle 1 Structured cabling system doubles the bandwidth of the proposed category-6 standard, tested to perform at up to 400 MHz.
Report Predicts U.S. Fixture Shipments to Reach $14.4 Billion in 2008
Shipments of lighting fixtures in the U.S. are expected to rise over 5% annually through 2008 to over $14.4 billion, according to Lighting Fixtures , a new study from The Freedonia Group, an industrial market search firm. This pace represents a significant acceleration from the 1998-2003 period as improving economic conditions boost demand in both construction and manufactured goods markets. Advances in lighting fixture demand will also be supported by an ongoing focus on energy efficiency, which will lead to residential remodeling activities and nonresidential retrofit projects aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of existing lighting systems.
NRDC Demonstrates Green is Good with LonWorks-Based Open Systems
For more than three decades, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has been a leading voice for environmental advocacy in the US. When the group decided to open a regional office in Santa Monica, California, they knew it had to be environmentally friendly. The building, named for Robert Redford, actor and long-time environmentalist, would combine cutting-edge technologies and materials with energy-efficient architecture to create a showcase for green-building design and promote environmental activism. The building, extensively remodeled by the NRDC and opened in November 2003, pushes the envelope for environmental design and construction techniques.
DALI Lighting Lab Debuts at Penn State
Penn State’s Department of Architectural Engineering has installed the first Internet-controllable lighting laboratory in the world, based on the digital addressable lighting interface (DALI). The DALI interface allows users from any PC and any location to control any lamp in this laboratory with a web browser; observe the effects with a web camera; and remotely monitor energy use and time-of-day use. Most recently, the control system was on display at Lightfair 2004 in Las Vegas.
The New Soldier Field: Melding Tradition with Modern Convenience
As one of the founding teams in the league that would become the NFL, the Chicago Bears are steeped in traditions that run deeper than most. The roster of retired Bears jerseys on display in the lobby of the team headquarters is awe-inspiring, the names timeless: Blanda, Butkus, Ditka, Payton, Sayers. The faithful converge on Soldier Field every home Sunday, win or lose, to shiver in the open air as the wind howls off Lake Michigan. Even the stadium itself, until recently a crumbling Greek temple with peeling plaster and questionable plumbing, has been part of the team’s mystique for more than 30 years. In such a franchise, change does not come easy.
A Chiller Plant That’s Never on Vacation
The Hilton @ Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, located in Destin, Fla.,along Florida’s northwest Gulf Coast between Pensacola and Panama City, features 600 guest suites, 32,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, four on-site restaurants, four championship golf courses, 13 tennis courts, two outdoor and one indoor swimming pool, and a full-service spa, salon and fitness center.
Tech Talk: Fire Suppression
In the world of fire suppression technology, the sophistication of fire detectors and control panels and the sustainability of fire extinguishing agents are currently topping the list of recent technological advancements. “If a detector senses a fire and creates an alarm, the panel can not only tell that a potential fire exists, it can also indicate when, where and how big, and it also tracks the history of the event,” explains Joseph Behnke, manager of technical services engineered systems for Tyco Safety Product’s fire suppression business, Marinette, Wis. Not only that, but the latest control panels are not only faster and smaller, but they offer increased monitoring ability with graphic displays and text messages, according to David N. Holst, department manager for plumbing and fire protection systems, Bala Consulting Engineers, Philadelphia. “These panels offer more programming and connectivity options so that the extinguishing systems for multiple rooms, buildings or even locations can all report to one central panel,” explains Holst. With regards to clean agents, Jeff LaSalle, P.E., chief fire protection engineer for EwingCole, Philadelphia, explains that the phasing out of Halon 1301 has resulted in a significant increase in the number of viable alternatives. “As a number of these agents are considered to be quite sustainable, this gives the facility owner or manager the peace of mind that he or she will only have to purchase the system once, eliminating a costly retrofit due to future environmental restrictions,” says Behnke. At the same time, LaSalle points out that the increased number of agents can sometimes be confusing, but it is a small price to pay for providing engineers, designers and owners with more options. Elsewhere on the fire suppression new technology front, special purpose sprinkler heads and heads that provide greater coverage are being developed, says Holst. And while it is pretty hard to improve on the technology of pipe, there is a continuing attempt to make it stronger, lighter and cheaper, he adds.
Demand Control Ventilation for Modular Classrooms in Arizona
Mesa Public School District #4 is the largest school district in the state of Arizona. It boasts over 70,000 students in over 100 campuses scattered over 200 square miles. Because of rapid growth, Mesa Schools, like many other districts across the nation, were forced to utilize modular classrooms for two reasons.
HVAC Consideration For Schools
A school district’s biggest expense after payroll is its utility bill. Because the HVAC system is a major component of a school’s utility bill, careful evaluation of a school’s HVAC requirements and equipment options can help administrators save money while actually improving learning productivity. Every school is different, so there is no one HVAC solution for all schools. Instead, there is a “best” solution for each individual school—chosen from careful evaluation—that maintains the highest possible indoor air quality at the lowest possible energy costs.