There are many different systems that make up a building. Some of the examples are electrical, mechanical, HVAC, plumbing, lighting and the actual structural system. Without any one of these, a place becomes uncomfortable and sometimes even uninhabitable for its occupants.
As times changes, new technologies come forth and with the realization that energy consumption is of concern many of these systems in many existing buildings need to be updated to meet today’s higher design and sustainable standards.
An example of a historic building that recently received a modern renovation to one of its crucial systems is the corporate headquarters of the Medical Mutual of Ohio company. The headquarters is located in the historic Rose Building in Cleveland, Ohio which is 381,000 SF.
The Rose Building
The Rose Building was built in 1902 as the headquarters of The National Refining Co by the meat packer, Benjamin Rose who is known for his pioneering techniques that allowed shipping meat by refrigerated railway cars. The Rose was once the tallest building between New York City and Chicago.
Today with the help of Acuity Brands, Inc which provided the high performance Relight kits and Eco Engineering LLC who identified and implemented the lighting solutions, the Rose has received a lighting renovation. The lights used are Acuity Brands, Inc.’s Lithonia Lighting, high performance volumetric Relight kits.
This renovation project was completed with no work disruption for the current staff of Medical Mutual of Ohio and with no need to break the ceiling plane because of the easy-to-install new Relight kits that fit into the existing 2 ft x 4 ft fixtures. It took 2600 kits to complete the project.
Why Relight Diagram
These kits create new indoor ambient lighting which will save the building owner money, improves the work environment and will enhance the interior aesthetics. The new up-to-date lights are expected to reduce the electrical demand and also to lower the air conditioning costs with less heat being produced.
The extensive lighting renovation project was completed with no work disruption, and is estimated to decrease the building’s annual energy use for lighting by more than 50 percent, or from 1.9 million kilowatt hours to about 906,000 million kilowatt hours.
Overall a simple lighting renovation solution with a beneficial sustainable improvement to a remarkable building with a solid presence in America’s history. The Rose Building, under the current ownership of Medical Mutual of Ohio, is a great example of systems that have worked and new systems that can work combined to create a lasting architectural landmark.
Resources: Emporis, Acuity Brands, Inc, Lithonia Lighting and Rachel Kaylor of Sweeney