IDP - electrical systems

During the tour of the Manitoba Hydro Building I payed special attention to the electrical systems.  Light meters throughout the office spaces sense how much light is needed at a specific time.  Lights near the windows may remain dim or off during a bright day, while lights further towards the centre of the building may remain slightly brighter.   These same lights are detected by motion, turning on when the space is occupied and off when it is not.
Lighting can also be controlled by each employee through their personal computer.  Having access to a couple lights near their cubical, an employee can adjust the level of light to meet their needs.  They can also adjust the windows and blinds via computer.  By opening the blinds, the use of artificial lights can be reduced.  If the sun is too bright, the blinds can be closed.  This technology makes it easy to control the amount of electricity used, which, in the Hydro building, must be significantly lower than most Winnipeg office buildings.

The orientation of the building also plays a huge role in limiting the amount of electricity used.  The narrow Hydro building is skewed so that more of the building is facing the south.  This provides more of the interior with natural light, limiting the amount of electricity needed.
Designed using an integrated design process (IDP), the Manitoba Hydro Building is a successful LEED building.  Using this process, our team hopes to design a building that functions sustainably.  It will be important to each share our recently obtained knowledge in order to successfully continue the integrated design process.

Stephanie Hill
- electrical engineer