ERMCO was recently recognized by the National Electrical Contractors Association with a 2018 NECA Project Excellence Award in the “Educational Over $1 Million” category for their work on the University of Notre Dame Nanovic Hall project.
NECA established the Project Excellence Award in 2017 to showcase the exceptional work being performed by its members throughout the country. ERMCO will be recognized along with this year’s other winners during NECA’s annual convention in Philadelphia on Sept. 29-Oct. 2.
NEW HALL BRINGS GROWING SOCIAL SCIENCES PROGRAMS TOGETHER
Nanovic Hall is the University of Notre Dame’s new home for its Departments of Economics, Political Science, and Sociology, and the Nanovic Institute for European Studies. It brings the sociology faculty and graduate students, who were previously spread across multiple floors of multiple buildings, together into one new facility. Laboratory and research spaces, classrooms, and offices are all designed to encourage interaction among faculty, undergraduates, and graduate students. A soaring, three-story forum can be used for both formal and informal events, the latest video conferencing technology is incorporated in each departmental suite, and a formal mediation room is used for United Nations-style negotiations.
DIFFICULTY OF INSTALLATION | UNIQUE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN REQUIRES PRECISE LAYOUT
The Mediation Room in the lower level of Nanovic Hall is a unique space modeled after the United Nations, with observation rooms with simultaneous translation capabilities for up to three languages. It allows two disparate groups to come together so they can share ideas and find middle ground.
Similar to theater-in-the-round design, the Mediation Room is designed to have the primary speaker(s) in the center of the room surrounded by tiered rings of seats. The room’s construction required precise layout of its supporting infrastructure to ensure all power, technology and data connections were located accurately the first time.
Our team used a Trimble Robotic Total Station to ensure accurate layout and installation. The tool increases accuracy of on-site measurements which allowed the team to be confident in determining layout and installation of all electrical components and helped eliminate potential rework.
APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY | IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY WITH LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEMS
New lighting systems are providing energy efficiencies for Nanovic Hall. ERMCO worked closely with the university to select and integrate two separate lighting control systems, Crestron and Green Gate, to allow users to have pre-set lighting levels and use daylight harvesting to conserve energy.
AESTHETICS | DISTINCTIVE INTERIORS CREATE INSPIRING AND INVITING SPACES
Both the exterior and the interior of Nanovic Hall are influenced by Notre Dame’s collegiate gothic architectural style. On the exterior, limestone walls and gable roofs blend with other campus structures. On the interior, distinctive lighting, wood floors and paneling, and warm colors work together to create inspiring and inviting environments for learning and discovery.ERMCO provided electrical services in collaboration with our South Bend partner Koontz-Wagner.
Go to www.necanet.org/project-excellence to learn more about the NECA Project Excellence Awards.