Legrand takes on the challenge at Microgaming HQ | Legrand United Kingdom

Named in The Telegraph as one of the ‘Top 10 coolest offices in 2017’, the unique building was designed with employees in mind, and global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures, Legrand UK & Ireland, was a key player in providing a robust and reliable power distribution backbone to the office.

Named ‘Sixty Two’, the ultramodern five-storey building that would be the new home of Microgaming, officially opened its doors on 31 July 2017; however, work on the project first began for Legrand in late 2014. Now home to over 150 Microgaming employees, the building benefits from open-plan office space, complete with hot desk pods, standing desks, work booths, breakout areas and 16 meeting rooms; not to mention a gym, coffee shop, games room and roof garden. With so much activity taking place under one roof, the demands on the building’s electrical infrastructure are intense. As such, Microgaming needed an efficient power distribution and lighting control solution that could be relied on at all times.

Marco Pacelli, Sales Specification Engineer at Legrand UK & Ireland, worked closely with both the client and contractors on the project. He commented: “Legrand UK & Ireland first became involved in the project via the consultants, March Consulting. Having worked with us on previous jobs, they knew we had the products capable of meeting the varying specification requirements of this exciting and innovative workplace project.”

Initial meetings began in late 2014, and work started on the site in 2015. A wide range of Legrand’s power distribution product solutions were included within the specification, ranging from 630A MR busbar, through to Electrak 24 powertrack underfloor busbar, Intersoc On-desk power modules and Lightrak lighting control units with DALI and KNX protocol.

Marco continues: “Throughout the process we worked extremely closely with the client, contractor and consultant. Wayne Brewerton, Business Development Manager at Legrand and Lightrak specialist, was particularly integral during this process, as a number of aspects of the project evolved as and when we were on site. This meant we needed to keep up with the changing demands and quickly adapt the solutions, which is where the sophistication of the Legrand products really came into their own as an alternative to traditional wired installations.”

Thanks to Electrak’s Lightrak lighting control system, which combines power distribution and lighting control via a buscom trunking backbone suspended within the ceiling void, users benefit from an enhanced plug and play system that allows both power and communication circuits to be tapped into at any point. This facilitates instant connection to power and control units, and means the system can adapt to the changing layout of the office as and when needed. Designed with ease of installation in mind, the trunking lengths feature a push-fit mechanism, making rearrangements during future layout changes quick and simple.

Furthermore, the Electrak’s Lightrak lighting control system has the capability to control and receive feedback from DALI lighting control units (LCUs) via KNX communication protocol. This feedback, of the operational status of all general and emergency luminaires, was then visualised on a graphical Head End and customised for the Microgaming installation.The solution is highly adjustable and new LCUs can be introduced anywhere on the buscom matrix without the need for any physical mounting to the building structure, or the running of any additional power or communication cables.

“The Lightrak offering was ideal for Microgaming as, given the company’s office is a new large five-storey building, being able to reconfigure the system without disturbing the infrastructure means that we could make sure the client got everything they wanted from the installation, while also keeping to the tight timing schedules”, says Marco.

As a modern workplace, the office layout also incorporates numerous different areas in which Microgaming employees can work from. This meant a constant supply of power across the whole building was of the utmost importance to the everyday running of the Microgaming office. The Electrak 24 powertrack system proved crucial to the provision of fast underfloor-to-workstation power to allow employees to work effectively and efficiently no matter where in the office they are. With minimal parts, the system is easy to install and can also be reconfigured as office layouts evolve.

“We also fitted slab boxes to offer complete versatility, as well as grommets, which provide ample space for the user to plug in equipment,” adds Marco.

Furthermore, Intersoc On-desk power modules were integrated into the office desk space to meet the growing demand for user-specific desk power and data access. With the number of internet-enabled devices used by office workers on the rise, Intersoc On-desk modules provide a convenient and high-speed port for power, data and rapid USB charging, meaning employees can use and charge multiple devices from the same point. The On-desk units are powered by a busbar backbone which provides a reliable and efficient electrical connection at all times.

Marco concluded: “The Microgaming headquarters installation is the perfect demonstration of a vast portfolio of our power distribution solutions working in harmony to provide the ultimate infrastructure for an ultra-modern workplace.”