The opening of a new office building isn’t typically cause for much fanfare outside of a ceremonial red ribbon and an oversized pair of scissors. But C Spire’s smart new headquarters in Birmingham, Ala., is anything but typical.
On the contrary, the new C Spire future-proof workspace in Birmingham is one of only a few places in the U.S. where team members, partners and prospective clients can experience the power of Cisco’s latest technologies in action.
“We want this to be a collaboration hub for the entire Birmingham technology community,” says Hal White, Vice President of Engineering and Partner Strategy at C Spire.
Collaboration is the central idea behind the Ridgeland, Miss.-based telecommunications and technology company’s new Shades Creek Parkway home, located on the Magic City’s leafy south side. Purpose built with smart Cisco building components to provide cutting-edge connectivity, the technology component also harnesses energy efficiency to conserve resources and enhance the employee experience.
“Future proofing your workplace isn't just about making a building smart,” says Ki Carr, Account Executive, Future Proofed Workplace for Real Estate, at Cisco. “It's not just about removing workplace inefficiencies. It’s about providing a better, more productive employee experience and gaining a competitive advantage.”
In operation, the center is a masterclass in the possibilities of Power over Ethernet (PoE). In fact, the entire 16,000-square-foot space runs on the low-voltage technology, including overhead lights, standing desks and a trio of conference rooms outfitted with Cisco Board Pro systems.
“There's no Romex in the ceiling anywhere, and there's no conduit,” says Chris Hoscheid, VP of Infrastructure at C Spire. “All of that cost got recycled into 16 miles of Ethernet cable.”
Whereas standard light fixtures connected to high-voltage electrical lines require 120 volts to power a simple 5-watt bulb, engineers instead deployed an Ethernet cable that delivers exactly what each bulb needs to operate.
“Not only are we using the Cisco network to pass traffic and data, but we're also using it to power the building and interface with HVAC systems. This allows for occupancy-based controls of heating and cooling,” Carr says.
“When we start looking at building operations, close to 40 percent of energy consumption is for HVAC and lighting,” he continues, “and 60 percent of that spend is for HVAC. By leveraging DC energy, we've completely removed the AC to DC conversion, resulting in about a 20-30 percent efficiency gain.”
This efficiency carries over to the state-of-the-art conference rooms. Each room has sensors that can determine occupancy through Cisco Video Endpoints, carbon dioxide sensors and air temperature sensors calibrated to know how many people are in a conference room. The digital signage outside of each room displays the number of people inside as well as the number of people who accepted the meeting and the room’s total occupancy.
Maintaining the comfort of those in the conference room is also key. Through Cisco networking, the sensors perform a mathematical offset — as more people enter the room, the temperature adjusts down in order to keep the same comfort level. The room balances back to its holding temperature when occupants leave the room. After hours, the system can shut down wireless access points and reduce the energy used by the network.
“Because everything's connected to the network, we can better understand occupancy and traffic flows,” Carr says.” “We know the number of people at any given location. Meaning we can automatically adjust building systems accordingly.”
Artificial Intelligence is also part of the equation, aiding a series of cameras in identifying who is speaking through video and audio and assigning the proper camera for the in-room display and video conference for those off site. And if you leave your phone in a room, no problem. With a surplus of wireless network access points, the system can triangulate signals from a device and know where it is in space. Simply go to a screen, pull up a map, and look for the name of your device.
The office’s motorized window blinds also help with temperature and comfort control. A reflectivity meter positioned on the roof measures the sunlight. At the moment the sun begins to rise on the building’s east side, the shades drop or close. But around mid morning, as the angle of sunlight shifts overhead, the blinds open by degrees. Once the sun passes to the west side, the blinds adjust accordingly.
“The sensors read the sun reflectivity on each window, and whether it's measuring heat or literally the lumens coming from the sun, it is changing the shades in the conference rooms and offices all day long, all to ensure consistency and reduce the glare on workstations,” Hoscheid says.
“We've learned we can cool a space by seven to eight degrees without adjusting the HVAC, using these automated shading technologies,” Carr adds. “These enhancements not only make employees more comfortable, increasing efficiency and productivity, but also significantly reduce building operations costs.”
Outside of Cisco Experience Centers in New York City and Atlanta — and a handful of international spaces in tier-one cities like London and Paris — the C Spire location in Birmingham stands alone in its capabilities.
“C Spire made a bold move,” Carr says. “The future isn't coming. It's already here.”
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