Architect and building firm Moon Design and Build decided to remodel and transform The Coach House, in Clifton, Bristol, into a contemporary office space and showpiece for prospective clients. The Coach House has been in commercial use since the 1800s, and the redesign involved a complete remodelling and an extension to the rear of the building.
As the electrical contractor on the project, our brief was to provide a building control system that was simple to use. Moon chose Niko Home Control to manage the whole building's operation, including lighting, heating, a mechanical heat recovery unit (MVHR) and roof-mounted opening skylights. The total cost of this was approximately GB£20,000.
We designed the system so that all lighting could be operated when entering and leaving the building. As a result, Moon employees do not have to waste valuable time checking that all the lights are switched off before leaving to go home in the evening. What is more, the roof-mounted skylights are set to close automatically, the heating is programmed to turn off or down, and after a set amount of time, the exterior signage switches off, as does the MVHR.
Energy saving is high on Moon's agenda, and the Niko system has allowed for simple things such the toilet and kitchen area lighting to be switched off after a period of inactivity.
All data cabling is CAT-6 back to central servers. Structured cabling was also installed to keep all of the Moon employees' Apple iMacs up to speed with an integrated phone system. Audio systems were installed throughout the building, but were kept separate to allow for upstairs and downstairs to control their own audio and visual components separately. Control of these is via Apple AirPlay.
Also included in the fit were intercom access functionality, a fire alarm system, an intruder alarm and a remotely-monitored CCTV system for added security. All of these systems operate under the Niko Home Control system, which allows for complete ease of use.
The two meeting rooms were fitted with large-screen HD televisions. Both are both connected to the central server and have Apple TV fitted to allow syncing with iPads and Macs so that clients can view presentations on their prospective builds. The rooms are also Internet-enabled and have VGA cables to the centre of the meeting tables, so that any third-party laptops can be connected if necessary.
Using Niko Home Control has been a pleasure for us as installers, as well as for our client. Although you might think of Niko Home Control primarily for residential applications, its ease of use also provides a fantastic way of controlling a small office easily and efficiently, at an affordable price.
Tech-Spec:
Niko Home Control products were used throughout the building including for controlling:
Lighting.
Exterior neon sign
2 zones of heating (radiators and underfloor)
Large roof-mounted opening skylight
MVHR mechanical heat recovery unit
Other products:
Citadel Accenta G4 Intruder Alarm
8 Channel HD DVR CCTV
1 x Panasonic HDTV
1 x LG HDTV
Boston Acoustics wall-mounted loudspeakers
Denon amplifiers
Adam Luckett is a Director of A&L Electrical, innovative electricians and low-energy specialists for projects ranging from domestic electrical work to complex commercial installations.
www.aandlelectrical.co.uk