Renovating, Remodeling, Retstructuring: Installing a Next Generation Electrical System

Convia Programmable Infrastructure Provides Flexible, Cost-efficient, Sustainable Solution to Meet Ever-Changing Tenant Needs

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CHICAGO, March 19, 2007 – In today’s booming business world, companies are often changing faster than their physical space can accommodate. Searching for a flexible, cost-efficient and sustainable solution to meet successive tenant needs, The Noisette Company, LLC, a North Charleston, S.C.-based developer of sustainable communities, recently became one of the first in the nation to install Convia Programmable Infrastructure, a next-generation electrical and data system.

Introduced by Convia/A Herman Miller Company in November 2006, the new Convia system is a modular, programmable infrastructure for both power and data that offers “plug-and-play” connections for any interior light, electrical device or control – virtually anywhere within a commercial space and without requiring hardwiring of devices or switches. This ease of installation and reconfiguration allows owners or tenants to readily change the lighting in their physical space in moments via a secure remote control “wand."

The Noisette Company installed the Convia system in a 2,250-square-foot-space leased by McMillan, Smith and Partners, an architecture and design firm in Charleston, S. C. The system addressed Noisette’s need for an easily customizable space, while providing McMillan, Smith and Partners the ultimate showcase of creative, forward-thinking interior design possibilities to the firm’s potential clients.

“Many tenants move because their current space is very fixed in its environment and it just doesn’t work for them anymore,” said John Knott, Jr., President and CEO, The Noisette Company, LLC. “The way the Convia system is designed, we believe tenants will be able to adapt their space to suit their needs. As a building owner, we’ll be able to increase our tenants’ satisfaction levels with our space and they will be far less likely to leave.”

In a recent third party survey of 500 office workers, nearly half of respondents named the ability to rearrange space as the most important factor with regard to their office space. Featuring scene controllers, Convia Programmable Infrastructure allows McMillan, Smith and Partners to save personalized settings and combinations of lighting and other devices. This gives them the freedom to recall their favorite settings as they prepare for meetings or client presentations with one simple touch of a button.

While the Convia Programmable Infrastructure installs at or below the cost of standard wiring, Noisette anticipates the real cost savings will be realized on an ongoing basis.

“On average, it takes about three months to make renovations between tenants,” adds Knott. “With Convia, we can make dramatic changes to personalize space without the headache of tearing down walls or ripping out wires. This saves everybody time and money. From the moment a tenant moves in, we can offer them a customized environment without bearing costs for changing the infrastructure to address their specific needs.”

"Go Green"
As one of the leading developers of environmentally responsible communities, Noisette seeks renovation solutions that are not only cost effective and flexible, but also sustainable. Convia Programmable Infrastructure is made of 100 percent reusable components and can thus help customers such as Noisette eliminate much of the waste material created by office churn and traditional electric space modifications. Further expanding the sustainability of the Noisette space, soft walls were hung from the Convia infrastructure to serve as space dividers. This helped eliminate approximately 50 lineal feet of traditional drywall that was part of the initial plan.

“Convia gives us a great deal of flexibility down the road,” said Knott, “If McMillan were to move out, we wouldn’t be left with a significant renovation, tear out, and a whole lot of drywall to send to the landfill.”

To maximize energy savings, Noisette is using the system in conjunction with high efficiency light fixtures. In traditional settings, lighting can represent more than half of a building’s energy consumption. And, efficient strategies are often not implemented, as they require more flexibility than traditional electric can accommodate economically. By allowing for unlimited modifications in positioning and configuring energy-efficiency components, and optimizing occupancy, daylight, time and temperature sensors, Convia provides personalized and cost-effective control of power, data, HVAC and lighting systems. In fact, a recent study conducted by The Weidt Group, an independent engineering consultant for high performance buildings, concluded that a standard office building using Convia Programmable Infrastructure would gain six to 30 percent in annual energy savings as compared to the ASHRAE standard 90.1-2004, the current energy benchmark for buildings.

About Convia, Inc.
Convia/A Herman Miller Company seeks to change the way people design, build, personalize and manage space. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chicago, Convia is dedicated to offering customers agile and programmable building environments, which allow for radically flexible spaces. For more information about Convia programmable infrastructure, visit www.hmconvia.com.