Reinforcing its commitment to sustainable design, Convia, Inc./A Herman Miller Company announces its first showroom has achieved LEED Gold CI Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED-CI (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Commercial Interiors). Located just outside of Chicago in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, the 7,500-square-foot facility constructed by West Michigan-based Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. fully incorporates the applications of Convia Sustainable Infrastructure--the company's smart building platform--and provides a glimpse of a functional and adaptable office of the future.
Offices located within Convia's LEED-gold showroom are completely programmable--from lights to window shades to temperature, which also allows for daylight harvesting and other key energy saving techniques.
"Our goal as a company is to not just provide a platform for sustainable building, but to also model that platform--to ultimately teach by doing," said Randy Storch, president of Convia. "Convia's showroom proves 'going green' can increase the convenience and usability of a space. Achieving LEED Gold CI Certification is paramount to our continued stance that implementing energy savings within facilities is easily achievable."
"LEED"ing by Example
Convia Sustainable Infrastructure, which can contribute up to eight LEED points to a building, allows for the virtual rewiring of an entire floor or building in just minutes via a two-button wand. Replacing the traditional "pipe and wire" approach to delivering electric in a space, Convia enables users to create immediate associations between any electrical device, switch or sensor on the system to form a network that can be continually monitored via the system's Global Gateway. This unmatched technology allows the system to be programmed from the convenience of users' personal computers as energy consumption and savings are simultaneously displayed in real time.
Key attributes of Convia's showroom include:
- RFID Tags - Breaking down the complexities of Convia Sustainable Infrastructure, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are featured on various parts of the system explaining the components and functions of the object.
- Device Programmability - Lighting and HVAC units are individually programmable, helping prevent utilities from being left on unnecessarily, and scene selectors in the Cafe and "Discovery Room"--used for presentations--allow audio and lighting settings to be recalled; pre-selected music stations can be programmed to play for dining and entertaining events.
- Energy Savings - Occupancy sensors are located throughout the facility, allowing lights and surveillance cameras to be activated only when movement is detected, reducing the amount of devices electrically engaged at any given time.
- Reusable Components - Convia uses 100 percent reusable components, reducing substantial landfill waste and dramatically lowering up-front labor and material costs, as well as throughout the lifecycle of the building, and can save energy consumption by as much 30 percent.
- Waste Reduction - Eliminating waste and creating a truly modular environment, walls within the facility are moveable and floors are raised, allowing renovations or changes to space to occur seamlessly without tearing down walls and ripping out wires.
About Convia, Inc.
Convia, Inc./A Herman Miller Company, seeks to change the way people design, build, personalize and manage space. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Convia offers agile and modular building platforms that enable radically flexible spaces and easy adaption to address evolving user needs and new technologies. For more information about Convia Sustainable Infrastructure, visit www.convia.com.
Please Note: B-roll video available upon request.
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