Aquatic Centres are difficult for lighting designers, particularly ones that feature an Olympic size pool, which has to comply with the Australian standard for international competition and television broadcasting. The uniformity requirements, light levels, percentage of incident light and colour rendering requirements all add up to a scenario that presents high levels of complexity. This is without even considering the issues of mounting locations, future maintenance and the extremely corrosive nature of a chlorine filled environment.
The eventual solution was delivered via the German manufacture Norka – a world leader in lighting solutions for adverse conditions. The ‘SYDNEY’ by Norka was customised for the specifics of the site and were fitted with long – life T5 fluorescent lamps offering a life of 50,000 hours (based on a 12 hour switching cycle). The advanced reflector and louvre technology delivered by Norka enabled the luminaires to be angled and adjusted in such a specific manner that all light level requirements under the standard were exceeded, as were the obligations for glare and veiling reflections. Whether it be swimming, diving, water polo or underwater hockey; the visual satisfaction and comfort has been dramatically improved and sets a new standard for not only users of the pool but for the spectators as well.
The impressiveness of the overall lighting solution was further enhanced by the inclusion of a full DALI system that combines with sensors to ‘daylight harvest’. Essentially, dimming the light levels down when enough natural light is present during the day. This also enables the centre to reduce the amount of light they use during those times when competition levels may not be required. This equates to large energy savings for the centre whilst prolonging the lamp life and the overall maintenance costs of the installation.
Electrical Engineer ECOS
Client City of Hobart
Images Courtesy City of Hobart