Situation - An engineering firm, internationally known for designing natatoriums, was commissioned to design the renovation of a major municipal swimming and athletic facility with a 25’ ceiling height. The existing facility was under lit, suffered from bad glare conditions, and was generally uninviting. The lighting equipment was corroded and in serious need of major repairs or replacement. Emergency lighting was non-existent. The pool need to accommodate springboard diving and swimming competitions. Divers, swimmers, lifeguards, and staff all considered the facility unacceptable, if not dangerous.
Challenge - The lighting system needed to provide quality lighting at recommended levels. Glare in the pool itself was to be minimized if not eliminated, because it hid the swimmers creating major safety issues. The fixture construction and materials needed to stand up to a hostile wet and corrosive environment. The filter-pump, storage, locker, teaching, office, and hallway areas were all subject to the same humid conditions. A modern architectural look was expected. Ongoing maintenance was a major concern.
Crownlite’s Process - Crownlite reviewed all the existing architectural and electrical drawings, researched current standard and practice for natatoriums and swimming pools, and investigated materials and finishes acceptable to this hostile environment. We recommended an indirect/direct custom suspended lighting system and produced detailed computer generated simulations of the expected lighting performance. We assisted in the electrical circuiting and final lighting layouts. A physical mock-up of prototype fixtures was installed for approval. We also wrote detailed installation and ongoing maintenance instructions for the installing contractor and owner.
Solution / Results - For the swimming pool area, Crownlite offered an 8’ 12 light T5 HO indirect/direct lighting system consisting of 9” round extruded aluminum fixtures mounted in continuous rows, suspended from aircraft cable, that framed the entire perimeter of the pool. The fixture had 2 tandem lamps down and 10 tandem lamps up and also integrated a self-contained emergency lighting system. The fixtures were pretreated with a heavy chromate conversion and finished to AAMA #2604 specifications for maximum survivability. Stainless steel #316 alloy was chosen for the hardware and hanging components. Louvers and custom reflectors were used in the downlight to tailor distribution, reducing direct glare, and keeping light off of the water surface at critical angles. Fixtures for all other areas of the facility were similarly considered, designed, and built.
Crownlite’s solution provided and extremely uniform, practically glare free lighting system for the pool area, that integrated well into the facility and was easy to maintain. The care given to material and finish selection is providing the owner with years of value.
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