Helvar Project Commissioned During COVID-19 Pandemic 

United Kingdom

Helvar Project Commissioned During COVID-19 Pandemic 

Lighting Requirements 

A DALI based lighting control system with all lighting to be fitted with Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI) Dimmable ballasts, except for the ‘H’ type luminaries which are to be mains switching and controllable. The need for presence and detection sensors were required for convenience and energy savings. 

Helvar’s Lighting Control System provides full lighting control. Presence and absence detection sensors were specified for both their convenience, and for the impact on energy usage. The lighting control system has been designed around the DALI which is designed specifically for lighting management and can be easily adapted to address any future needs. 

The DALI lighting control system implemented is designed to be fully scalable, with minimal effort – meaning any future adaptations to the lighting for the entire space can be affected easily. Helvar is one of the founding members of the DiiA (Digital Illumination Interface Alliance) and is therefore instrumental in the ongoing development of this protocol – so the team fully understood that the building needed a lighting system which was both straightforward to install, and simple to manage. 

In rooms where there is no natural light available, Tunable White has been installed to create an environment that mimics the outside world, essential for Human Centric Lighting that supports wellbeing, brings health benefits and increases productivity. Furthermore, each floor is equipped with Helvar Network Enclosure containing 910 Routers for addressing and control of standard (Non- Emergency) Lighting. 

“Helvar is an easy system to work with and you receive good back up from engineers so we would use them for future projects”, says Alan Kavanagh, Mechanical and Electrical Site Manager, Steane Ltd. 

Commissioning during COVID-19 

This system was commissioned in May 2020, at which point the COVID-19 outbreak was at its peak. This meant that social distancing of all staff and visitors on-site was a key priority. “I would say it was a very disrupted period due to the many changes enforced on the industry. Our client supported us extremely well and understood our criteria and safety arrangements to deliver the commissioning. We had a skeleton workforce in place, and we were constantly speaking together relating to changes, issues and current methodologies on site. We agreed on the principle factors for our staff to perform their duties and maintain the new measures agreed to complete the remit” says John Purcell, Head of Technical Operations, Helvar. 

COVID-19 led to a number of necessary changes in working practices – and for the Helvar commissioning team, this meant using personal transport, wearing strict Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), using hand gels, sterilised wipes and adhering to other safety measures. 

“It was definitely a different experience commissioning the project compared to before COVID-19. Luckily Helvar adapted its RAMS [Risk Assessments & Method Statements] quite quickly to keep us safe. John also attended the site to speak with the customer, advised of our safety and working arrangements for the forthcoming works and witnessed site conditions first-hand, so it made us feel more comfortable and safe when we did commission the project.”, says Dominic Jukes, Commissioning Engineer, Helvar. 

“Helvar was appointed by the client for the installation and the service they provided was very good considering the challenging times put on us. Even the fact that a lot of engineers got furloughed, Dominic made sure our project got handed over in time and was very helpful” says Kavanagh. 

United Kingdom

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