Office and Commercial

24 September 2024

Shining Light on Renowned Norwich Research Centre

Diamond Services has been working with The John Innes Centre as part of a long-term refurbishment and upgrade programme. Our latest project was to transform the conference centre’s lighting system, following upgrades to the conference centre hospitality foyer and reception, and across other faculty buildings last year.

The centre chose Diamond Services to upgrade its interior pendant lighting to enhance lighting controls by conference organisers and boost energy efficiency. This included the installation of 38 pendant luminaires chosen specifically for their technical specification and adaptability. Having the capability to manage lighting for accurate dimming and overall control was an important part of the remit. It was also essential that the installation was completed with minimal infrastructure change.

As with any centre for excellence, the lighting needed to be state-of-the-art, energy-efficient, cost-effective and have a lifespan whereby maintenance and replacement would be minimal.

The John Innes Conference Centre is a hub for events at Norfolk’s renowned John Innes Centre for Research for Plant and Microbial Science. Located at the Norwich Research Park, the facility hosts conferences for attendees from all around the world, and includes an auditorium boasting 320 seats, and a hospitality foyer and reception area which is overlooked by a gallery used for networking and dining events.

The project was completed over several days and was project managed to ensure minimal disruption, completed at times to not interfere with the running of the centre and events taking place during the project.

John Innes Conference centre lights install

John Innes Conference centre lights install in auditorium

Choosing the Best Lighting Solution C77-P Pendant LED Lights

We contacted the team at Glamox, a lighting solutions manufacturer and supplier who we work with regularly. After discussing the client’s needs, we specified the C77-P series. A slender pendant luminaire with specially designed reflector optics to ensure full glare control and comfortable lighting. The luminaire contains a bluetooth interface for smart lighting control via an App. An ideal solution for full controllability in a large conference space.

The C77-P series was combined with a Glamox MPW PIR and daylight sensor for use with the wireless ZigBee system. The sensor connects the luminaire to the wireless ZigBee solution so that multiple lighting groups can be integrated into the same network simply by using a phone as an bluetooth low energy (BLE) integration tool. For larger integrations a gateway can be added.

“Having worked with the John Innes Centre for Research for many years it was a pleasure to be invited back again to help with the lighting installation at their conference centre,” said Director, Martin Barmby. “This busy conference centre will now be able to host its events in a more streamlined and efficient manner, offering complete control over the environment for the best comfort of guests to the venue.”

If your business lighting needs an upgrade, please get in touch to discuss your specific requirements or request a quote. Call us on 01603 531352.

11 December 2023

Commercial Business Gets Fully Powered Up

In our latest commercial projects, we’ve been working with manufacturing specialist the IFD Group, and distribution business GE-BE, providing a comprehensive electrical contracting service and project management across two sites in Norfolk.

The Diamond Services team has worked with the owners of the organisation for almost 3 years after first being commissioned for electrical services at the GE-BE Transport distribution centre in Swaffham. The state-of-the-art facility is 435,600 sq ft and accommodates its growing fleet of over 70 vehicles and 100 trailers, as well as housing over 100 employees with the new modern office and sales facilities. A large electrical project for the Diamond Services team and one that has led to an equally fulfilling project this year for the IFD Group’s new manufacturing facility.

The new manufacturing site in Snetterton was previously a bottling plant and needed a complete electrical service to transform the site into a facility for the production, freeze-drying and packing of products.

With some impressive commercial equipment and machinery such as large freeze dryers and a chill room, the project included a mains power refit, LED lighting with PIR sensors for energy saving, emergency lighting for health and safety compliance, car park flood lighting, security CCTV installation and data wiring.

Ensuring enough electrical power for the multiple freeze-dryer machines was imperative and so we organised a custom-made addition to the main incoming distribution panel. Our team coordinated the specification of multiple 400a power supplies with our switchgear supplier, Eaton, and project managed the manufacture and delivery in a timely manner so that a planned factory shutdown could be arranged to install the new bespoke panel.

Commercial electrical fit out at IFD in Norfolk

“Working alongside the IFD operations team, the project was carried out over several months,” says Diamond Services Company Director, Martin Barmby. “As with any large electrical installation project, we need to coordinate with the development team and be available at specific times throughout the contract for fit-out, testing, and sign-off. Industrial premises require specialist electrical skills and knowledge to maintain a safe working environment, so there is a lot of planning and important safety regulations to comply with. It was great working with the team again for this latest project.”

The IFD Group is an innovative manufacturer of food products, creating new categories online and in-store for large well-known brands.

If your industrial building needs electrical wiring or an electrical refurb, please get in touch to discuss your specific requirements or request a quote.

17 August 2023

Mains Electrical Supply Combined at Zatu Games

After an extensive refurbishment of its premises in Norwich late last year, games retailer Zatu Games, called on its long-standing electrical contractor, Diamond Services, to combine the mains electrical supply for its two buildings.

As energy costs began to escalate Zatu Games looked at new ways to manage its ever-growing electricity bills. The games retailer’s two substantial sized buildings are used as both office space and warehousing, and each had their own electrical supply substations. By investing in the installation of a mains power feed between the adjacent properties, they recognised significant savings could be made in operating and maintenance costs.

Project planning was incredibly important as the installation involved over 250m of cable. Two large cable drums, each weighing over half a tonne, were used to connect the two buildings and a six-strong team of Diamond Services electrical engineers were on hand to install the electrical supply.

Logistics were not straight forward as the connection required gaining access through an underground service tunnel and the support of scaffolding. Diamond Services provided a complete solution, including the installation of ladder rack equipment for future proofing and easy access to the cable if required.

Director Martin Barmby said, “Adding mains supply to a commercial building requires detailed planning and the sheer scale of the feed meant that it was a complex project that many electrical contractors would not be able to handle. However, our experienced electricians took it all in their stride and we worked as a team to deliver the project without any disruption to the busy operations. It’s certainly one of the longest and heaviest cable runs we’ve been involved in as a business!”

As part of the business’s own approach to carbon reduction, Zatu Games uses energy efficient LED lighting throughout its refurbished buildings. It also has solar energy capability, and encourages staff to use electric transportation, providing on-site EV charging stations. Also installed by Diamond Services.

Four commercial Rolec EV chargepoints were installed as part of the premises upgrades. These included single and twin 7kw chargers and an impressive Quantum 2 – a 22kw twin charger. Each of the stations uses the Monta Management Software, offering networked control for the business.

Are you looking to upgrade or make operational savings in your commercial building? Get in touch for a no obligation consultation.