LED Downlights for Penn State’s Premier Lecture Hall
In a lighting retrofit of Penn State’s Joab L Thomas Building Lecture Hall, Rambusch Mark V LED recessed TwistLoc downlights were installed from below into existing Rambusch trims. The system exceeds previous light levels, cuts energy costs, raises ambiance and increases visual acuity.
Penn State had reduced its campus greenhouse gas emissions by 18% since 2005 and set an ambitious new reduction goal of 35% by 2020. As a portion of the University’s $2.15 million energy upgrade to four buildings on its University Park campus, Rambusch was proud to contribute to this overall sustainability target by retrofitting Thomas Lecture Hall with 100 of its Mark V LED downlights.
The Hall is Penn State’s premier educational forum. It is the largest facility of its kind on campus, seating 725 students, and is used continuously. The existing Rambusch quartz downlight system from the 1980’s met the room’s multi-media projection demands, and allowed students to see screened presentations with shadow-free light for taking notes. However, it had met the end of its useful life. Energy consumption, maintenance, downtime, and extensive scaffolding all posed formidable operating costs.
Mark V LED downlight retrofits replaced the entire system and took advantage of the existing Rambusch trims. The room’s operating load immediately decreased from 19,500W to 6,600W. Penn State’s Office of the Physical Plant plans to verify illumination levels in ten years and only expects to make replacements in fifteen, nearly eliminating maintenance costs. Meanwhile, this fully integrated system exceeds previous light levels, has raised the ambiance and increased visual acuity for users.