Setting the Energy Savings Standard

Convia Sustainable Infrastructure Selected for USGBC's New Headquarters

1370 Abbott Court Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 847.876.6925 Contact: Mark Schurman 616.654.5498 Jane Chadesh 847.876.6925 Download Press Release >>

BOSTON, November 19, 2008 – The nation’s leading organization supporting environmentally responsible building is turning to the advanced energy saving strategies of Convia, Inc./A Herman Miller
Company. Today, Convia announced that its signature product, Convia Sustainable Infrastructure, will be integrated within the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) new headquarters in Washington, D.C. that is expected to achieve a LEED® rating of Platinum, the highest level. [1]

The Convia smart building platform, on display this week at the USGBC’s annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Boston, will play a critical role in helping meet and exceed the organization’s ongoing energy management goals.

“The USGBC is at the forefront of shaping green building policy and design,” said Randy Storch, president of Convia. “The fact that the organization has looked to us to help guide its own energy saving strategies speaks strongly to our ability to provide our customers with forward-thinking, sustainable solutions that address their ever-changing needs. We’re excited to be part of this project, which will serve as the ultimate showcase of the future of green building and energy management.”

Convia Sustainable Infrastructure is a smart building platform that allows for the creation of more flexible, sustainable spaces. With a Convia-enabled building design, a facility's power delivery and other infrastructure and technology applications, including lighting, HVAC, security, occupancy and daylight harvesting sensors, security and A/V are integrated into an energy efficient, easy-to manage platform. By combining flexible power, energy management and space optimization into one platform, users have more control over their spaces and the tools they need to program their environments to meet their changing needs.

Installation of the Convia platform, which can play a role in helping projects earn significant LEED points, is expected to begin later this month. When completed, the new 75,000-square-foot-space will serve as the main offices for USGBC and Green Building Certification Institute employees, replacing the USGBC’s existing 22,000 square-feet headquarters, which obtained the coveted LEED Platinum Commercial Interiors Certification in 2007. From conference rooms and open areas to private offices and the kitchen, Convia Sustainable Infrastructure will seamlessly connect all areas of the new space and provide energy management support. The system addresses USGBC’s need for functionality, while providing flexibility to continuously commission the space and implement new and necessary changes.

Ongoing Energy Optimization

Convia will work closely with the project’s sustainable design firm, Clanton and Associates and MEP firm GHT, to implement energy savings strategies and techniques to provide USBGC with unparalleled control of lighting systems and optimization of occupancy, daylight and time sensors. Key applications of the Convia platform, which will be implemented into the USGBC building include:

     • Global Gateway: Displays a control panel for every electrical device and programmed setting associated in a space on users’ personal computers. This feature will give USGBC the freedom to independently access, control and program their utilities, including lights, and audio/visual units such as televisions, projectors, monitors, displays, etc.

     • Energy Savings: 367 occupancy sensors will be located throughout the building, allowing lights to be activated only when movement is detected and reducing the amount of devices electrically engaged at any given time.

     • Daylight Harvesting with Astronomical Clock Dimming: Light dimming levels will be automatically adjusted based on the time of day and the level of natural daylight available.

     • Cluster Energy Management: Circuits not controlling computers will be programmed to shut-down when workstations are not occupied to ensure task lights, radios, fans, battery chargers, and other small electrical devices are turned off. Timed power sweeps at the end of the day ensure these savings are realized when the building is vacant.

     • 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 reduce energy consumption by as much as 30 percent.

[1] LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the USGBC’s rating system for the design and construction of high performance, energy-efficient buildings.

About the U.S. Greenbuilding Council (USGBC)

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since USGBC’s founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 17,500 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED® green building certification systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry’s popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 79 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

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, Ill., Convia offers agile and modular building platforms that enable radically flexible spaces and easy adaptation to address evolving user needs and new technologies. For more information about Convia Sustainable Infrastructure, visit www.convia.com.