Lighting and field design has many variables but generally the most important is determining the level of play on each field and the accompanying light levels required.
Below are the recommendations based on the RP6-20 design manual:
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- Parks and Recreation – Class IV
- High School – Class III
- NCAA – Custom standard determined by facility broadcast level
- Semi-professional – Class II
- Professional – Class I
When deciding on the right scope of work for upgrading a facility, many aspects need to be considered to determine the best course of action. While retrofitting is often more economical compared to new construction, the existing site may not be adequate to achieve the desired project outcome.
Some key factors include:
Existing Power Service
An audit of all site infrastructure should be conducted to determine if retrofitting an existing field is the best course of action. If the field was designed for the proper light levels at the time of original construction, the replacement of 1500W Metal Halide fixtures with LED fixtures will create a reduction in power consumption. The existing service can be reused, assuming no material degradation has occurred. Existing underground lines and pole harnesses should be inspected.
Structural Pole Audit
An audit of existing poles and their structural integrity should be completed to determine if they can be reused or should be replaced.
Wood poles should be inspected for rot, insects, woodpeckers, splitting, twisting, and other degradation that may affect the structural integrity.
Steel poles should be inspected for cracked or rusted welds, cracking, and general degradation, especially in coastal areas where corrosion is more prevalent.
Concrete poles are generally robust and withstand the elements well, but should be checked for any rusting of the structural caging or vertical cracking. If the existing concrete poles were manufactured by StressCrete, they typically make good candidates for retrofitting and our team can help you assess them.
Budget
Retrofitting can remove the cost of installing new poles; however, the addition of new concrete poles to a project is often a marginal cost increase and comes with a standard lifetime warranty allowing these to be retrofitted 3 or 4 times before falling out of warranty. Taking the opportunity to upgrade to new StressCrete concrete poles at the same time as an LED conversion can help extend the functional lifetime of the project.
Within the lighting industry, there has been an increased importance placed on Obtrusive Light across many applications, including sports lighting. Spill light, light trespass, uplight, DarkSky, etc. are all common considerations when designing a sports field. Each of these should be taken into consideration when addressing Obtrusive Lighting, not just a singular aspect.
When addressing Obtrusive Light, it is important to not only address spill light as a singular goal but to understand the value of minimal spill light surrounding the field for the safety of spectators, as well as, the effects of direct uplight on DarkSky considerations. For example, it is more beneficial overall to have slightly higher spill light levels than to direct high-wattage fixtures vertically in the air. This ensures the best coverage for the field of play, while minimizing uplight, and has the added benefit of a buffer zone around the field of play for spectator safety.
Our team of in-house field lighting designers understand all factors of Obtrusive Light and factor them into all of our designs.
There are various levels of lighting controls depending on site usage, budget, controllability, and monitoring of the system. Most Park and Recreational and smaller High School fields will not require individual fixture control, but basic field on/off with scheduling and remote access. This option is typically the most efficient to eliminate keys and ensure fields are not left on past bylaws while remaining economical.
Higher-end fields, such as large High Schools, NCAA, semi-professional, or professional facilities, would be best suited for individual fixture controls. This gives the facility the ability to create lighting shows, set different practice and game light levels, control field lighting remotely from off-site, etc.
As a division of StressCrete Group, the Spartan Sports Lighting system is entirely manufactured in North America by a StressCrete, King Luminaire, or KingCast facility.
These facilities are located throughout the United States and Canada, in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario; Jefferson, Ohio; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and Atchison, Kansas making Spartan Sports Lighting a uniquely, and entirely, North American manufactured solution.
StressCrete has provided concrete poles and structural steel cross-arms to the sports lighting market for decades. There are many sites with existing concrete poles that are quality candidates for an engineered retrofit solution.
To determine if your field has StressCrete poles, look for the StressCrete nameplate on the side of the pole and check out our retrofit solution!
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