Advanced lighting controls and exterior tactics for better illumination

To achieve the goals of sustainability and high performance, stakeholders in new construction and renovation projects must rein in energy consumption. Interior illumination represents a large fraction of building sector energy use, and lighting overall accounts for 19% of electricity consumed nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

With this in mind, project designers, contractors, facility managers, and end-users must understand why illumination is so energy intensive, and what to do about it. This course presents detailed information about lighting control strategies that contribute to energy efficient buildings and occupant well-being, as well as tips for lighting building exteriors effectively and efficiently.

After reading this article, you should be able to:

Describe the challenges for delivering sustainable, efficient lighting design in commercial projects, enhancing occupant well-being and saving resources.
Discuss illumination technologies available to project stakeholders, including benefits, drawbacks, and major recent advances.
List considerations for meeting applicable codes and voluntary green standards.
Compare current lighting design strategies and techniques, with particular attention to exterior lighting and lighting control systems that promote safety, security, energy-efficiency, and occupant well-being.

TAKE THIS FREE COURSE AT BD+C UNIVERSITY

The editors of Building Design+Construction present 10 “Great Solutions” that highlight innovative technology and products that can be used to address some of the many problems Building Teams face in their day-to-day work. Readers are encouraged to submit entries for Great Solutions; if we use yours, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate. Look for more Great Solutions in 2012 at: www.bdcnetwork.com/greatsolutions/2012.

Rainscreen system installed at the west building envelope expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Energy performance starts at the building envelope

Rainscreen system installed at the west building expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Turning Balconies Outside In

Operable glass balcony glazing systems provide solution to increase usable space in residential and commercial structures.

| Dec 10, 2011

BIM tools to make your project easier to manage

Two innovations—program manager Gafcon’s SharePoint360 project management platform and a new BIM “wall creator” add-on developed by ClarkDietrich Building Systems for use with the Revit BIM platform and construction consultant—show how fabricators and owner’s reps are stepping in to fill the gaps between construction and design that can typically be exposed by working with a 3D model.