Project: Interpower Corporation

Panel Components Corporation’s new Ames facility is a 46,000 square foot commercial space and warehouse. The multi-function building is operated as offices, research and development, manufacturing, customer service, and warehousing. Story Design Limited designed the building and the entire electrical design was completed by Nelson Electric in-house.

The exterior required parking lot, building, and site lighting, as well as two fountains. The interior office space lighting was a combination of grid troffers and suspended fixtures. The lighting in the customer service area was done by suspended semi-direct linear lighting with attached fixtures at a combined length in excess of 300 feet. Since the warehouse is not continuously occupied, a hi-lo lighting system with motion detectors was utilized to only provide maximum lighting when and where necessary. When an area is not occupied, the lights dim themselves automatically.

The center of the design is the Mitsubishi uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and standby Kohler generator system. Whenever there is a loss of power, the 75kva UPS provides the power necessary to run the computer room and equipment as well as the marketing and customer service areas while the generator “warms up”. After the generator is ready, the power transfers between the two and the generator can run for a minimum of 24 hours without refueling or until utility power is restored.