PIER DAYLIGHTING PLUS RETAIL REVISIONING

Transcription

1 March 12, 2008 PIER DAYLIGHTING PLUS RETAIL REVISIONING To: Program Advisory Committee (PAC) Members From: Heschong Mahone Group, Inc. Re: Retail Revisioning Project Description 1. PROJECT GOALS The goal of this project is to encourage, demonstrate and disseminate new approaches to retail lighting design that will result in greater energy savings and peak demand reduction, while more than satisfying the need of the retail corporation for effective visual marketing and the creation of a highly attractive shopping environment. The intent of the project is to make use of daylight for lighting energy savings, and to find other ways to reduce the energy consumed by electric lighting. Daylighting for energy savings is now widely practiced in big box retail stores, but the highly uniform lit environment that it creates does not meet the expectations of high-end retailers. This project aims to identify daylighting design strategies that specifically contribute to the visual marketing goals of the retailers, while also offering significant energy savings.. 2. PROJECT OBJECTIVE The objective of this project is to engage a major operator of high-end retail buildings (Macy's), a utility partner, Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) and an industry group of lighting designers (IALD) in the development of a new paradigm in lighting quality and energy-efficient lighting in retail facilities. The project seeks to achieve its goals through a combination of demonstrations, design assistance and monitoring of new retail buildings and the development of retail daylighting methods that are both energy- efficient as well visually-appealing and stimulating. 3. PROJECT TEAM This project is funded by the. Principal Investigator for this project is Lisa Heschong, of the Heschong Mahone Group. During the project we will subcontract with lighting designers Naomi Miller and Bernie Bauer, to bring in their extensive experience of retail lighting design. We will work with the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) to receive additional input and to help to disseminate the findings of the project to designers and manufacturers. The 03/12/08 3:21 PM

2 Project Advisory Committee (PAC) will also provide input throughout the project, to ensure that we take advantage of as many opportunities as possible. 4. PROJECT TASKS AND PROGRESS TO DATE The project s work scope involves the following technical tasks: 4.1 Research Plan We will develop an overall research plan to identify opportunities in Macy s existing stores and propose new ways of using daylight in their prototype stores. We will develop the work plan with input from the Program Advisory Committee (PAC). The research plan will evolve based on Macy s needs and will be responsive to the current and future growth and design objectives of Macy s. As described later, we have developed detailed plans for the design survey and charrette, and the intervention study (see those sections). These documents, in conjunction with other documents we ll prepare for each task, will comprise the project research plan. Depending on Macy s construction schedule for their new prototype stores, we may be able to develop a research plan for the Monitoring and Analysis of the Experimental Store. 4.2 Exploratory Project (Intervention Study) We will test the sales and environmental impact of overhead daylighting in a Macy s store in California. We will likely uncover and re-cover the skylights and document any changes in shoppers behavior, along with changes in sales volume or in the opinions of the sales associates in that section of the store. We will identify performance measures that are appropriate to the retail environment and visual experience at Macy s. This task is seen by the Macy s team as essential to getting upper level management buy-in to the idea of daylighting. Macy s does not wish us to release store sales data because this is considered confidential business information, so we will generate a report on the lighting quality in the space as a result of the daylight interventions and Macy s response to the experiment. We have conducted the Design Survey (see below) of Macy s California stores, and have identified several sites that are promising candidates for the intervention study. We have submitted a Task description for Intervention study to Macy s management for their review. We hope to conduct the intervention study in the summer and fall of

3 4.3 Develop Corporate Business Case (Design Survey and Charrette) This task is intended to convince the upper management of Macy s of the potential value of this new approach to lighting. The charrette will include Macy s building design, lighting design, facilities, and visual merchandising teams, and is intended to generate concrete approaches to using daylight as an integral part of store design. The charrette will be informed by the design survey of daylighting and electric lighting conditions in Macy s stores and other daylit buildings in California. We have surveyed 27 sites in California, including 18 Macy s stores, to document the existing daylight conditions on site. We took photos of the skylights and the visual conditions inside the stores, we recorded typical light levels, and spoke with maintenance staff and sales associates. We chose the 18 Macy s stores by looking at aerial photos and selecting those that had the most extensive skylighting and glazing. We chose the other nine buildings based on our wider experience of daylit buildings and daylighting techniques. We will report our findings to Macy s at a design charrette scheduled for April in Cincinnati. We have invited lighting designer Bernie Bauer to the charrette, to provide additional input. Bernie was involved in the lighting design and daylighting design of many Macy s stores in the 1980s, so can provide a unique perspective on previous design approaches and their success. 4.4 Develop Experimental Store Design We will work with Macy s prototype design team on the design of a new prototype store, providing ideas, technical assistance and energy analysis. We worked with Macy s prototype design team to develop initial approaches to increased use of daylight in a prototype store. The initial energy analysis showed that some approaches were not likely to be cost-effective, whereas some approaches showed promise. As Macy s proceeds with its prototype store design, we will contribute further ideas and energy analysis. We will try to use ideas that were developed in the design charrette, because these will already have the support of the design team and management. 4.5 QC Construction of Experimental Store If Macy s proceeds with an experimental store in a location for which we have project funding, we will assist with quality control during the construction of the experimental 3

4 store, providing review of product specifications, substitutions and alternative solutions considered during the construction process, to insure a successful outcome. This task is dependent on Macy s proceeding with the prototype store, with the improved lighting features, in SMUD territory. In the event that a suitable store in SMUD territory is not constructed during the project timeframe, we may attempt to find alternative funding to complete this task. We are awaiting developments in Macy s schedule for prototype store design and construction 4.6 Energy Monitoring and Performance Analysis of Experimental Store We will install monitoring equipment to evaluate the performance of the daylighting features of the experimental store. We will analyze the data to produce energy profiles for the overall store and for each measure. SMUD will provide monitoring services and will provide a report on measured performance. We are awaiting developments in Macy s schedule for prototype store design and construction. 4.7 Report on Retail Innovation Process We will report on the changes to Macy s approach to daylighting as a result of this project. We will focus on the design challenges and the social and organizational challenges in addressing corporate concerns about new design approaches. This report will cover activities undertaken and lessons learned from all the tasks above. N/A 4.8 Develop new store prototypes We will use lessons from the intervention study to help Macy s to develop a new prototype for stores in California. We will generate a report that provides design assistance and energy analysis for the recommended measures, including a cost/benefit analysis. N/A 4

5 4.9 Market Connections - IALD workshops and publications We will hold workshops with International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) members who are interested in innovative retail design. The first workshop in the first year of the project will serve as a brainstorming session and solicit input from IALD members on how best to meet California s energy goals. The second workshop, held at the end of the project will inform the IALD members about the successes and challenges of the project and look to the future of applying these ideas elsewhere. The IALD will also be asked to invite manufacturers to this workshop to be briefed on market needs. We have subcontracted Naomi Miller, a highly respected and active member of IALD, to help strengthen these market connections. N/A 4.10 Market Connections - Report on code implications As part of the project level market connections we will also analyze and report on the code implications of the project s findings. This report will discuss whether and how retail lighting could be regulated beyond simple LPDs. There is resistance among the retail lighting community to code measures that are perceived to restrict their freedom to install reconfigurable lighting. This may be an area in which existing code can be improved. N/A 4.11 Project-level Technology Transfer Activities We will provide a Technology Transfer Plan (TTP) that will provide a road map to continued evolution of retail lighting design toward more efficient solutions. This TTP will identify strategies ready for integration into Savings by Design or Emerging Technology programs. It will also identify manufacturers who are interested in developing new products to meet retail efficiency needs, and identify ways of informing lighting designers about developments in energy efficient retail lighting as a result of this project. N/A 5