Miller SQA Holland, Michigan Lighting design is used as an important element in conservation.

Featured Products: THS, Reloc, Kilowatch, Low Voltage Switching Panels
Application Type: Industrial, Light Manufacturing

About 10 miles from the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, surrounded by a meadow of wild flowers and grasses, stands the new Miller SQA building. At first glance, this low brick and glass structure does not draw special attention. But something unique has been created here, and the meadow is not there by accident. Herman Miller, furniture maker and parent company to Miller SQA, historically has fostered a culture of thrift and conservation. These philosophies are exemplified in the construction of the new SQA facility, and even the meadow plays its part in the ecological integration of the building.

Miller SQA (Simple, Quick, Affordable) was originally founded in 1984 to recycle the used furniture of its parent company, which allowed customers to trade in old office furniture. SQA then dismantled, rebuilt, and resold it. Today, Miller SQA manufactures a full line of new furniture geared toward providing value at an affordable price.

As the business grew, the need for a new facility to house its approximately 600 employees became apparent. It was only natural that they would construct an ecologically friendly building that could be sustained affordably.

Among the design team members responsible for the facility were architect David Verberg of Verberg and Associates, who had previous experience working on Herman Miller buildings, and architect William McDonough of William McDonough + Partners, an active environmentalist. Interior designer Bede VanDyke of VanDyke & Associates and landscape architect Peter Pollack of Pollack Design Associates also were key members who worked with Company employees to form the design team. The end result was an environmentally integrated, energy-efficient facility.

Entrance to the building is through a glass-fronted domed archway that faces south, reaping the benefits of full daylight exposure within. The lobby is open and functional and is central to a skylit main corridor that stretches the length of the office area. The corridor connects the offices to the common meeting rooms that border the production area.

Skylights and windows pervade the 220,000 square feet of manufacturing space, and high windows in the office areas allow abundant light to pour in year round. Common social areas are present both in the upper and lower levels. Employees can use work out equipment while enjoying the view from a full-glass, sloped ceiling on the upper level. The corridor of the lower level is interspersed with informal break areas, and a centrally located cafeteria connects the offices and production areas.

Lighting Challenges
Company officials needed a lighting system that would work with daylighting to supplement the natural light when necessary. They wanted a system that used sensors to dim the lights when daylight is sufficient and one that would respond to motion sensors so that unoccupied areas would not have to be lighted.

Parkway Electric, a Holland, Michigan, based electrical engineering/construction company, was selected for the electric design and construction. Parkway is a participant in the U.S. Government's Green Lights program, which places special emphasis on energy efficiency. Parkway worked with lighting designers Kugler Tillotson Associates, Inc., and Environmental Research Group to design the system.

Lighting Solutions
Doug Mitchell, P.E., of Parkway, chose the Lithonia Lighting Kilowatch® and Watchkeeper® lighting and controls systems for the building. The Kilowatch system contains a passive infrared motion sensor and is used in areas where full illumination is needed only a portion of the day.

SQA uses "zones of control" in the manufacturing areas so that they can turn off whole quadrants when they aren't in use. The Lithonia Low Voltage Switching Panel system permits zone control because it contains an internal clock for time-of-day schedules, but it can be easily overridden without requiring that the main schedule be re-programmed.

A total of 750 THS Series metal halide high bay luminaires, by Lithonia, are used throughout the production area, and the Reloc® wiring system, which features plug-ins and relocatable components, also by Lithonia, was chosen as the connector. Mitchell explained, "The Reloc connectors simplified the wiring because they already contain the additional wire necessary for a controls system."

Motion sensors for full on/off control are used in offices, meeting rooms and storage areas, as well as dimmers that reduce the output of the electric lights whenever the daylighting is sufficient.

Conclusion
The Miller SQA building was completed in November 1995. Their goal for the lighting system was to provide an energy efficient system that utilized the daylighting features of the building's architecture. It is estimated that the lighting controls will credit considerable savings each year. In addition, studies are in progress to determine if the use of daylighting helps to increase productivity and give employees an added sense of well-being.