Haworth Showroom with GE Lamps Shows Green, Earns GoldCLEVELAND—As a leader in office furniture and architectural interiors, Haworth, Inc., believes in helping customers create great spaces for the people who work in them—and creating interiors that inspire. Its 29,000 square–foot flagship showroom in Chicago's Merchandise Mart has to do the same. It has to convey the inspirational, forward–thinking philosophy that has made Haworth one of the most respected names in the business. A move into a new space offered the perfect opportunity to create a showroom that would offer a beautiful alignment of product, technology and engineering. The space had to demonstrate that Haworth was not only a furniture manufacturer, but also a partner in helping companies to integrate furniture systems with communication and lighting systems. The new showroom was also an ideal opportunity for Haworth to showcase its commitment to sustainability and green–building initiatives. Haworth knew lighting would play a major role in meeting its objectives. Haworth wanted to feature numerous vignettes, areas showcasing furniture in a typical office environment. The lighting had to make these vignettes stand out and serve as access points, as well as being flexible and adaptable so Haworth could easily incorporate new products over time in a sustainable way. The lighting also had to focus on interesting architectural elements of the space and help lead customers through the showroom. St. Louis–based architectural lighting design firm Randy Burkett Lighting Design, Inc. was engaged to orchestrate the diverse lighting needs of the showroom. GE Consumer & Industrial was consulted to assist in identifying optimal source choices. Showroom outshines ASHRAE standards, goes for LEED–CI Gold Prominent among Haworth's objectives was the desire to have the lighting design qualify for LEED–CI Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. That meant energy usage had to be 40 percent below power densities permitted by ASHRAE standards and Chicago energy codes. The lighting design for the Haworth showroom exhibits a skillful integration of T5 fluorescent, compact fluorescent, halogen and LED lighting systems to establish a dynamic and dramatic visual environment. The entire lighting system is controlled by a lighting control system that incorporates dimming, occupancy sensing and daylight integration, which permits enhanced energy conservation and extended maintenance cycles. The design concept utilizes the showroom's vertical and horizontal planes to dynamically reinforce display and communication messages. Etched glass walls throughout the showroom are dramatically revealed with 37–watt GE Precise™ IR lamps. Spatial boundaries are redefined, as wall sections are independently dimmed to allow nearly imperceptible cross fading of the luminous surfaces. The ability to modulate the showroom's perceived volume is a metaphor for Haworth's ability to adapt workspaces for individual client needs. In areas that needed extensive accent lighting, the design team considered two options: low–wattage ceramic metal halide and low–wattage halogen. "Ceramic metal halide lamps were too intense for the eight– and nine–foot ceilings and they couldn't be dimmed," says Ron Kurtz, associate and senior lighting designer at Randy Burkett Lighting Design. "We chose 37–watt ConstantColor® MR16 lamps from GE, which would bring energy use way down compared with standard 50–watt MR16 lamps. Floor pockets utilize linear LED systems to provide edge and surface wash differentiation between adjacent or overlapping planes. Office furniture, featured in vignettes throughout the showroom, is primarily lighted with linear, cable–suspended, dimmable luminaries with GE 54–watt T5 Starcoat® 3500K fluorescent lamps. Random highlighting is accomplished with 37–watt GE Precise™ IR lamps. The T5 Starcoat® lamp offers a 20,000 hour rated life. "With its increased lighting flexibility, especially in tight spaces and low profile applications, the T5 Starcoat® linear fluorescent is a perfect complement to the functional showroom displays," says Mary Beth Gotti, manager of the GE Lighting & Electrical Institute. "Plus the lamps offer good light output and energy efficiency." The raised–floor construction allows Haworth's raised access floor product lines to be displayed. Flush–to–floor vitrines, positioned throughout the showroom in circulation and informal seating areas, are illuminated with 20–watt GE MR11 lamps and LED accent modules. Additional task lighting is provided by GE 28–watt T5 fluorescent lamps integrated into millwork and furniture. The high–efficiency T5 lamps offer a rated–life of 30,000 hours, plus a color–rendering index of 85. General lighting in circulation and other informal interaction zones is provided by recessed, dimmable downlights with GE F26–watt Triple Biax® 3500 K compact fluorescent lamps. The Triple Biax® CFLs have a rated life of 12,000 hours at three hours per start and a 20,000–hour rating when used on a 12–hour burn cycle. They also feature a hexagonal base design that ensures a better fit in a wider variety of applications. The lighting design provides the drama demanded by a showroom environment, while helping Haworth achieve the first LEED Gold certification in the Chicago Merchandise Mart. "We actually exceeded the LEED energy requirements and created the impact everyone envisioned," says Kurtz. That impact is evident in the recognition the showroom has received. The showroom won the International Interior Design Association's (IIDA) 2006 NeoCon Large Showroom award; it is built on the same adaptable workspace platform as the 2004 IIDA award–winning showroom. It is the first showroom to win the award twice using the same platform. "Lighting plays an important role in the showroom's design and is a key component of the success of the space," says Kurtz. With its award–winning showroom—the project was recognized in May 2006 with an Award of Excellence at the 2005 GE Edison Awards—Haworth has created its own great space. Randy Burkett Lighting Design, Inc. is a full service architectural lighting design and consulting practice. Founded in 1988, the firm offers a complete range of lighting design related services from initial conceptual development through final construction administration. Haworth Inc. is a global leader in the design and manufacture of adaptable workspaces, including raised floors, movable walls, systems furniture, seating, storage and wood casegoods. Family–owned and privately held, Haworth is headquartered in Holland, Michigan, and serves markets in more than 120 countries though a global network of 600 dealers. The company had net sales of US $1.4 billion in 2005. www.haworth.com GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliance, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies and "ecomagination," a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE) brings imagination to work, selling products under the Monogram®, Profile™ GE®, Hotpoint®, SmartWater™ Reveal®, Edison™ and Energy Smart™ consumer brands, and Entellisys™ industrial brand. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.
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