A selection of Thorn floodlights and luminaires have been used to meet the requirements for varying lumen packages and color rendering indices at Derby’s Arena. Thorn’s team worked closely with M&E contractor Derry Building Services, from the outset to final commissioning. Compliance with illuminance levels and uniformity over the track and infield areas according to the specification were key objectives. Separate switching levels for the track and multi-use sports areas within the Arena were also important requirements.
Derby Arena is a 156,000ft² multi-use arena and velodrome situated next to Pride Park Stadium. It includes a national standard 250m indoor cycling track, a sports infield the size of 12 badminton courts and a fitness center, café and meeting and conferencing rooms. The track is encircled by a lower tier of 3,000 spectator seats, with two additional banks of 1,500 seats that form the upper seating tiers which face the two straight sections of track. The main concourse separates the upper and lower seating tiers. This arena can host a variety of sports including badminton, basketball, netball, volleyball and martial arts. It is also used for events ranging from family pantomimes to classic car shows.
Thorn’s Mundial 1kW and Troika 400W floodlights illuminate the velodrome track, which also benefits from three light switching levels of 600 lx, 300 lx and 100 lx to efficiently meet the lighting requirements for its varying uses, which range from competition to training. Mundial is a high-power floodlight for sport and large-area illumination applications while Troika is an asymmetric flat-glass floodlight with four different light distributions for each lamp option and a broad selection of attachments. Thorn’s luminaires provide the required color temperature of 5600K, a color rendering index of 90 and uniformity level of 0.76 and all of the track floodlights are tilted no higher than 65 degrees for good glare control.
Titus Sport, a robust dedicated sports hall luminaire with T16 (T5) fluorescent lamps, has been used to illuminate the infield sports area, providing an illuminance level of 500 lx and uniformity ranging from 0.8 to 0.95. The infield area also has separate switching to accommodate the volleyball, basketball and badminton courts. Not only does this save energy by only using the required lighting but it also provides more focus for players and spectators. The switching arrangement is specifically positioned to accommodate the demands of each field of play and sporting activity, ensuring lighting is appropriate and comfortable for players. This is particularly important for overhead sports such as badminton as overhead lighting would cause glare and discomfort.
The indoor areas of the facility have been illuminated using Impact Force, a high-performance, IP65, impact-resistant luminaire with a GRP canopy; Piazza, a robust, wall-mounted vandal-resistant luminaire; and Duoproof, a sealed, IP65-rated, recessed fluorescent luminaire with welded frame corners that provide a smooth and easy to clean surface.
“Setup and completion was carried out in a very professional and considered manner,” says Chris Pilkington of Derry Building Services. “The lighting is extremely well suited to the particular challenges of lighting a modern world class velodrome and sporting facility”.
