by Brianna Crandall — February 5, 2016—Global diversified technology company Royal Philips was selected to create a large-scale lighting installation at a major university campus that the company says is the first to leverage a commercial Power over Ethernet (PoE) system to deliver more control, energy efficiency and cost savings. The project is part of the recently opened Watt Family Innovation Center at Clemson University.
As a founding innovation partner of the center, Philips implemented a PoE-based indoor lighting system combined with LED lighting to provide flexible work spaces that encourage collaboration between faculty and students, optimize space management in the facility, and improve energy efficiency. This new connected lighting solution is expected to deliver up to 70 percent in energy savings compared to similar buildings using conventional lighting.
The intelligent PoE system delivers energy savings by gathering historical and real-time anonymous data from each lighting fixture to determine when a room is being used. These occupancy sensors also trigger lights to turn on and off, saving additional energy.
The Philips EnvisionManager, an advanced lighting control system, will enable all the lights to be controlled from a single, tailored software console. The system supports remote access and Web-based control, letting occupants control their lights via any authorized computer, smartphone or tablet. This ensures that the right amount of light is provided only when, where and how it is needed.
The Watt Center will also feature what is said to be the largest media façade installation in the United States using Philips iColor Flex LMX gen2, flexible strands of large high-intensity LED nodes with intelligent color light. Installed outside the center, the façade features a digital canvas and delivers messages to the campus to rally students, further enhance school spirit, and provide a highly visual element that drives the innovative brand image of the university.
The installation includes more than 45,000 individually controllable light points designed for extraordinary effects and expansive installations. Without the constraints of fixture size, shape, or space, LMX gen2 is useful for a variety of applications including media façades, building façades, bridges, parks, plazas, retail, and more, notes Royal Philips.
Located in the middle of the Clemson University campus, the Watt Family Innovation Center is available for undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines as a flexible space for collaboration and project development and for industry and government partners to work side-by-side with students and faculty, exploring and discovering new concepts for the marketplace.
At 70,000 square feet in size and four stories tall, the Watt Center will provide a significant amount of additional space for teaching and research in science, technology, and engineering.
Royal Philips is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on innovation in the areas of healthcare, consumer lifestyle and lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs about 106,000 employees, with sales and services in more than 100 countries.
