Project Inspire Hampshire, UK

Project Inspire comprises a complex of new-build and refurbished offices for the MOD’s Defence Science & Technology Laboratory on two sites at Porton Down & Portsdown West.

The integrated office and laboratory buildings are equipped with a Delmatic system which provides energy-efficient occupancy detection & daylight-linked Dali dimming, IP routers for site-wide communication, and comprehensive Dali testing and monitoring of emergency lighting throughout the two complexes.

Key drivers for the project were security, functionality and flexibility: the work of DSTL can change often and so the design of the facilities needed to accommodate the ability to flex the working environment according to future demands. The Delmatic system met this brief by providing total flexibility through individual addressable control of every luminaire: the Dali system also simplified installation by enabling Dali luminaires, Dali switches, Dali presence detectors and multisensors, and Dali emergency lighting monitoring devices to be connected to a single Dali bus.

The project was assessed using the BREEAM measurement system and, despite the fact that the high security nature of the development meant that some credits were difficult to obtain – for instance, windows were not allowed to be opened – the project received a BREEAM rating of “Excellent”, and is the first MOD project to receive a BREEAM excellent rating.