Harvard museum earns LEED credit with Clear-Vu LED lighting

When Harvard University set out to renovate its Fogg Art Museum Complex, one of its goals for the ambitious, 201,000 ft², multi-year project scheduled for completion in 2014 was to earn LEED-Gold certification.

The general contractor, Skanska, Clear-Vu Lighting based in Westbury, NY had the idea to garner LEED Innovation in Design Credit (ID) at the start of construction by using energy-saving temporary jobsite lighting.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) awards ID credits for exceptional or innovative performance beyond the requirements addressed by the LEED Green Building rating system. On the Harvard project, the general contractor Skanska and lighting system provider, Clear-Vu Lighting of Westbury, NY, proposed the use of LED-based Flex SLS fixtures, lighting that could have precedent-setting implications for saving energy during construction.

"It's a way to earn an ID credit that I don't think anyone's really thought of," said Daniel Lax, head of business development for Clear-Vu Lighting. "This is the first time the USGBC awarded a LEED ID credit for temporary lighting."

Skanska's application for the LEED credit cites an anticipated 75 percent reduction in energy consumption on the Harvard jobsite over two years with the use of its LED system, thereby significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Electricity cost for the project was estimated at $395,000 using conventional lighting, but the LED lighting should reduce this to $45,000.

Skanska's Paul Davey had such a positive experience with LED lighting on the Harvard job, he's recommending his firm adopt this technology on projects around the country. He said superintendents on jobsites generally find temporary lighting to be a burden as well as a safety concern. With Clear-Vu's LED system, there's no maintenance, no bulbs to change and the quality of light is superior. Because of the low-voltage system and low-temperature operation of the LEDs, safety on the site is also improved.

The Flex SLS system is designed to replace incandescent stringers and 400W metal-halide fixtures. The rugged LED-based fixtures can easily and quickly be mounted, connected, repositioned, and removed on the jobsite. Each module produces 2000 lm (focused at target area), delivering 8 fc at 15-ft spacing from a 10-ft height. Rated life is 50,000 hours. A 450W power supply accepts 110-265 VAC input and outputs 24 VDC to energize up to 16 LED modules on a single bus line. A T-Connector enables user-defined spacing and the system supports two independent 24 VDC bus lines.

Clear-Vu will soon introduce its next generation Flex SLS 2.0 Site Lighting System, which is 20% brighter than its predecessor without increasing energy consumption.