White Paper Technology Infrastructure Upgrade Boosts Performance of Older Buildings In today s environment, older buildings need to support ongoing fu

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1 White Paper Technology Infrastructure Upgrade Boosts Performance of Older Buildings In today s environment, older buildings need to support ongoing functions at the highest level while also delivering energy efficiency. Facility managers and others responsible for operating, managing and maintaining these buildings know that well-planned and executed retrofits of the electrical and low-voltage infrastructure turn an out-of-date building into a highperformance, energy saving facility that s equipped for today s challenges and tomorrow s changes. The importance of upgrading existing facilities is reflected in new standards and guidelines: he LEED for Existing BuildingsOperations & Maintenance (LEED-EB O&M) rating system. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, this helps building owners and operators measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. A SHRAE has published Guideline 32, Sustainable, High Performance Operations and Maintenance, which reads in part: This guideline applies to the ongoing operational practices for a building and its systems, particularly with respect to energy efficiency, occupant comfort, indoor air quality, health and safety. A SHRAE 90.1 provides the minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design of most buildings and offers, in detail, the minimum energy-efficient requirements for new systems and equipment in existing facilities, including new coverage of receptacles and plug loads. Today, the most efficient and productive offices are characterized by many of these factors: > Work is less desk-focused and more collaboration-oriented. > Workers are not on site all day, every day; many are mobile. > Greater reliance on temporary employees, consultants, and short-term, project workers. > Spaces that are designed to encourage interaction and collaboration among knowledge workers. > A heavy reliance on technology, including video conferencing. > A desire to reduce cost and, in many instances, enhance facility sustainability. Technology Infrastructure White Paper 1

2 he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through its Energy Star Program, offers strategies and tools, including Portfolio Manager, for achieving superior energy management in existing facilities. This increased attention is often the responsibility of the facility manager, who succeeds the design team once a building is up and running. A recent survey by the International Facility Managers Association reported that managing an aging building and implementing new sustainability measures are among the most important topics their members face. And they are being faced by many building professionals. The Building Owners and Managers Association reports that 70% of existing commercial office stock is 20 years or older. Using new technology and building design principles, existing buildings can be redesigned to be much more functional and easier to maintain. These changes address two central pillars of functionality: serviceability or the usefulness of a building for its intended purposes, and maintainability, or the capacity of the building to be easily serviced in terms of the functional requirements. Today more than ever, managers of existing facilities are challenged to maximize building performance and tenant satisfaction. This paper examines several components of upgrading a building s electrical and communications infrastructure through: Energy management Flexible infrastructure systems Workspace redesign Energy Management Meeting corporate sustainability goals is a key driver for retrofits and renovations. Therefore, the right choice of digital and electrical infrastructure can play a key role in enhancing sustainability and reducing energy use. Elements of the electrical infrastructure that actively support energy management include: L ighting controls such digital lighting systems, dimmers and sensors reduce lighting usage and lower operating costs by up to 52 percent. Even more savings stem from reduced air conditioning costs, light bulb replacement, and maintenance and power demand during peak hours. U sing intelligent control system that integrate plug load control and extend the benefits of energy codemandated control investments. hermal management in data centers can be accomplished with cabinet layouts in a hot aisle / cold aisle design as well as vinyl curtains and cabinet accessories to direct airflow. lder buildings can even tap into current technology with enhancements like roof-top photovoltaic installations and plugin charging stations for electric vehicles. Flexible Infrastructure Older buildings with conventional methods of running wires and cables Technology Infrastructure White Paper 2

3 of locating the components and accessing the cabling contained within them. Although cable tray was historically installed above drop ceilings, standard black tray is increasingly showing up in open ceiling architecture. Workspace Redesign through the walls and utilizing fixedposition outlets are at a disadvantage when accommodating the way work is done today and supporting tomorrow s technology. However, these same buildings are excellent candidates for infrastructure retrofits that greatly improve system flexibility and the ability to accommodate future technology upgrades. This flexibility maximizes the ability to manage moves, adds and changes while lowering the cost of ownership. Examples of flexible pathways include: pen space systems, such as architectural service columns and poke-thru devices, serve areas that are not adjacent to partitions. Architectural service columns are an aesthetically pleasing way to bring power and low voltage connectivity from the ceiling directly into work areas. Furniture-feed poke-thru devices can be precisely located within open spaces to provide direct feeds of power, network and audio/video into office furniture. P erimeter systems route wiring and cabling securely along walls. These systems are often specified in work centers to energize office equipment along a wall. Cabling that is laid into a perimeter system remains easily accessible at all times. These systems are also easy to expand or reconfigure. verhead cable tray offers a high degree of flexibility, both in terms The design of a building often dictates how space is used and how productive and appealing it is. Redesign considerations include bringing services up to the user for point of use access and fostering collaboration through open floor designs. Enhancements, or operational efficiencies, created by redesigning workspaces make buildings flexible so they can be reconfigured as needed. Some targets for improving design while supporting an enhanced technology infrastructure are: C ollaboration/open space. These trends are driving companies to dedicate a higher percentage of office space to collaborative spaces, including small conference rooms for small group discussions (2-5 people) and gathering areas (without walls). These collaborative areas are being equipped with technology for researching and sharing information. M eeting rooms. Their function will dictate the level of electrical, network, and A/V needed. For example, board rooms may require a power and data outlet for each participant and high-end A/V for Technology Infrastructure White Paper 3

4 displays, while training rooms may rely on wireless for network connections for participants who would still require electrical outlets for full participation. In addition, most meeting rooms support multiple meeting types (training, presentations, collaboration) with reconfigurable furniture which needs to be supported with reconfigurable power. E xecutive offices. Today s executive is less likely to sit behind a big desk and more likely to require immediate access to data and communications networks. W orkstations. Workers are using more services than ever before, including. A/V. Users prefer having access to services at the work surface. S ervice areas, including data centers. These areas can benefit greatly from new wire and cable management systems that improve functionality, making technology upgrades easier to implement, while also reducing HVAC and electrical demand. Conclusions Facility managers and others who are responsible for achieving high performance and energy efficiency in existing buildings must consider a wide variety of potential enhancements. Retrofitting a building s electrical and low-voltage infrastructure has a positive impact on building function, attracting and retaining tenants and the bottom line. That s because information technology has greatly raised the importance of a building s low-voltage and electrical infrastructure. This backbone the wiring and cabling, lighting and lighting controls, and data, audio-visual and communications systems is the enabling technology for high performance buildings. Ideally this building-wide infrastructure consists of a complementary arrangement of components; therefore facility managers should investigate solutions that are designed to be easy to install in existing facilities and easy to modify to support technology upgrades as well as ongoing moves, adds, changes. Technology Infrastructure White Paper 4

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