Volleyball Court Lighting Designs

FLAGSTAFF ATHLETIC CLUB
Volleyball Court Lighting Project
Flagstaff, Arizona
March 2009

PROJECT DETAILS
RLLD Design was contacted by an athletic club in Flagstaff, Arizona that was interested in upgrading their volleyball court lighting system. The club had many members, and boasted was a 4-court sand volleyball commercial facility which was used by local leagues for games and tournaments. Over the years, the lights had deteriorated, and the club management decided it was time to consider replacement options.

CHALLENGES CLIENT WAS FACING
The existing lighting system was woefully inadequate for a multi-directional, fast moving sport such as volleyball. The existing court lighting system consisted of nothing more than a set of wooden poles and quartz halogen lamps. While these courts definitely needed more foot candles in the play areas, there were two things we had to keep in mind while proposing them system. One was dark sky regulations. Arizona has some of the most restrictive lighting ordinances in the nation, so we had to carefully study the lighting code book from the City of Flagstaff to find the most appropriate equipment options.

The second challenge was client budget. Operating costs had risen over the years, while membership had remained static. The client asked us to propose two volleyball court lighting systems at different price points so they could determine which one would work best for them.

LIGHTING DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
The four court layout was also a considerable challenge for our design team. It offered very little room for interior pole placement due to safety concerns. All volleyball court lights would therefore have to be mounted on perimeter poles.

The interior court boundaries would suffer from lower levels than rest of court surface, but foot candles levels would still meet acceptable minimums.

PHOTOMETRIC ANALYSIS SOFTWARE HELPED TO DEVELOP A CUSTOM LIGHTING PLAN BASED ON IESNA STANDARDS.
It was necessary for us to maintain an average of 24 foot candles throughout the entirety of the playing areas. With the eight pole lighting system, we were able to achieve a max to min ratio of 2.3: 1. We were also able to show the client a rendered 3D view of all four volleyball courts to completely illustrate the lighting system and its capabilities.

FINAL SYSTEM PROPOSED
For fixtures, we decided to use our CXL Series court lights as they were full cut off, and specifically designed for all volleyball court sports lighting kit situations. We proposed two different layouts—an 8-pole layout, and a 4-pole layout. We strongly discouraged the client from going with the 4-pole system because the luminance levels were sub-par at best.

Although the cost was higher, the client eventually opted for the 8-pole layout. The simple design of equipment fit with the club aesthetics, wind load capacitance met with regulations, and the CXL series fixtures met with all dark sky ordinances. RLLD further assisted the athletic club by consulting with the local electrical contractor to properly place, orient, and install equipment.

OTHER SPORTS LIGHTING FIXTURE INFORMATION:

Baseball Field Lighting
RLL Design baseball lighting fixtures feature sophisticated optics and advanced reflectors that generate superior lumens per watt output in comparison to competing models.....

Soccer Field Lighting
Soccer field sports lighting fixture design depends a great deal on the height of the poles you choose, which is why RLL Design inventories a wide range of light poles and pole mounting accessories so you can position your athletic field lights at that appropriate levels.....

Tennis Court Lighting
Tennis court lighting kits are designed by RLLD sports lighting experts to produce optimal footcandle levels and excellent color rendering. A variety of optical systems and sophisticated reflectors keep the light centered in the court.....

RLLD Commercial Lighting carries a wide variety of industrial, sports lighting commercial grade light fixtures. If you can not find what you are looking for on our website contact us toll free at 1-866-654-3961 and we will find it for you.

Check out our glossary of lighting terms and commercial lighting blog for answers and tips to many lighting issues.Our home office is located in Houston, Texas with warehouses located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including Sault Ste Marie, MI (CIU), Cleveland, OH, (CLE), College Station, TX (CLL), Port Angeles, WA (CLM), Charlotte, NC (CLT), Columbus, OH (CMH), Champaign, IL (CMI), Hancock, MI (CMX), Cody, WY (COD) and Colorado Springs, CO (COS).

Gymnasium Lighting & Gym Lights

What are the best fixtures to use for gym lights?
Metal halide lights are almost always the best luminaires to use in gymnasium and athletic sport field lighting. They are frequently found in school gyms, clubs, and recreational basketball courts and provide a robust source of white light with a high CRI.

What is the best way to mount gymnasium light fixtures?
The ceiling height is around 25’, so the best mounting height HID lights is 22’ above the gym floor. To protect the basketball court lighting against accidental ball impacts, using die cast aluminum luminaires suspended on hooks or safety chains to allow the fixture to swing with the impact if hit during a game.

What wattage works best in most gyms?
Due to increasing improvements in HID technology 400 watt lighting fixtures have replaced 1000 watt luminaires in most gyms. Lower wattage fixtures allow you to incrementally increase foot candles by installing more lighting fixtures in closer proximity to one another. At the same time, they give you much better control of the light and are much more effective at shielding players and spectators from glare.

1000 watt luminaires almost always produce excessive glare and have to be specially phosphor coated to create more comfortable distribution of light. This coating is an additional cost that isn’t worth accruing for yourself or passing on to your client, and it generally results in disappointing results because it diminishes not only glare, but luminance levels in general by as much as 15%. Pulse start metal halide lighting fixtures, on the other hand, can produce anywhere between 20-80 foot candles of light in gymnasiums of any size.

Is there a standard style fixture to use in gymnasium lighting?
There is no set fixture that is a “one-size fits all” luminaire. Certain characteristics, however, are universal in the best gym lights. These features have to do with how the luminaire distributes light and keeps glare at a minimum. Look for gymnasium lights that feature parabolic faceted reflectors that disperse illumination downward and prevent spill light from blinding the eyes of players and fans.

HID fixtures of this type are almost always the best choice for lighting college gymnasiums that play host to camera crews. Cameras need a higher luminance than the human eye to accurately render color and motion, and parabolic shielding and faceted reflectors will allow you to create up to 80 foot candles of light without white spots or pockets of glare. The number of sports lighting fixtures used, the height of the ceiling, and the reflectivity of the ceiling and walls all play a factor in both distributing illumination and producing the negative by product of light pollution if luminaires are too intense.

What is the best way to light a multi-court gymnasium?
Multi-court gymnasiums may require special considerations and planning. The best way to determine what fixtures to use and what intervals to install them is to have a photometric analysis performed on your client’s gymnasium. A photometric report will quickly reveal problem areas of glare and shadow can be immediately pinpointed, and strategies implemented to counter act them.

What are the best ballasts to use in gym lighting?
In most lighting case studies, the best ballasts to use are standard auto regulator CWA. These ballasts provide good energy efficient, reliable power distribution for most HID fixtures used in gym lighting. Other ballast types may be needed, however, for certain types of court lighting or areas of the country with heavy moisture or dust content in the air. Remote ballasting is recommended if at all possible to protect equipment from accidental ball impact.

RLLD Commercial Lighting carries a wide variety of industrial & commercial lighting fixtures. If you can not find what you are looking for on our commercial lighting blog call us toll free at 1-866-654-3961 and we will find it for you.

Our home office is located in Houston, Texas with warehouses located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including like Ft. Lauderdale, FL (FLL), Orlando, Florida (MCO), Santa Monica, CA, (LAX) Columbus, Ohio (CMH) (LGA) New York, NY, (JKF), St. Louis, MO, Detroit, Michigan (DTW), Madison, WI (MSN), San Francisco, California (SFO), and Omaha, Nebraska (OMA)

Golf Course & Driving Range Lighting

Commercial lighting designers and certified electricians who work resorts and country clubs will find a complete selection of golf lights in RLL Design’s inventory of driving range lights and putting green fixtures, lamps, and mounts. A full stock of golf lighting accessories is also maintained so that the contractor or DYI installer can utilize our site as a one shop depot of commercial grade lighting equipment. In order to fulfill the needs of both the sophisticated country club and the public driving range, lighting fixtures can be ordered in any number of finishes that provide durable protection from the elements and aesthetic compliments to a particular facilities. Fiscally conservative organizations with a cost-consciousness for energy costs can greatly benefit from any number of options in low voltage putting green lights or high voltage HID golf course lights. These fixtures use far less power than incandescent-based lamp technology and dispel shadows with glare-free lighting that allows for accurate shots at any hour of the night. Resorts and country clubs will also appreciate the eclectic range of both wood and steel poles and sports lighting poles that can be utilized for any number of eclectic design combinations to compliment outdoor lighting and exterior architecture.

For the convenience of both commercial lighting specialists and staff electricians performing a DYI lighting installation, we divide our golf lights into two categories: putting green lights and driving range lights. In many cases, larger driving ranges require custom lighting designs using either 400-watt or 1000-watt fixtures that mount on steel or wooden poles available by contacting your RLL Design lighting specialist. These specialists add competitive advantage to the services offered by individual electricians and professional lighting firms by helping them to quickly match fixtures to mounts and fulfill the design requirements of small courses and high-end establishments alike.

Putting green lights can be requisitioned in either high voltage or low voltage models. Fluorescent 120V lamps are so energy efficient that they feature a bulb life of up to 10,000 hours. This offers a competitive advantage to the contractor proposing a system to a client concerned about replacement costs in the midst of the recession, as it offers any organization the benefit of a single purchase that will last for many years. Additionally, these putting green lights can even be adjusted for softer lighting conditions, decorative landscape lighting, or special theme lighting on the golf course during special times of the year such as Christmas,. Halogen lamps can also be ordered in a variety of wattages. All lamps are fully protected by durable Solite tempered glass that prevents ball impacts from breaking the bulb. These putting green lights look impeccable when mounted on RLL Design’s sheik, black pedestals that provide an all around compliment for a wide range of residential, private, municipal parks, and adjacent building architecture.

Smaller golf courses that are considering contracting a local electrician to install driving range lights and putting green lights should emphasize to their vendor the importance of using only commercial grade golf lights. Many freelance electricians may offer a savings bundled into their proposals by recommending retail driving range and putting green light fixtures as a cost cutting options. This is never advisable for a number of reasons. Retail-grade lighting lenses offer much less impact resistance to golf balls and will often break- resulting in both replacement costs and additional labor rates. Wiring is also generally inferior in retail golf light fixtures, deteriorating more rapidly and resulting in short circuits shorter lamp life. Investing only a marginally larger amount in equipment that will last several years longer represents a single purchase that is both fiscally recession proof and aesthetically superior because of a greater variety in finish, mounting, and customized design options.

Creating a golf course lighting design that illuminates the greens and compliments aesthetic décor may take more than technical fixture selection to serve the needs of a resort or exclusive country club. Contractors, electricians, and employees conducting a DYI installation can rely upon RLL Design for online and phone-based consultation and planning services offered complimentary to new clients and serious inquirers.

In addition to golf course lighting equipment we carry the following sports lighting equipment:

Soccer Field Lighting
Baseball Field Lighting
Softball Field Lighting
Volleyball Court Lighting
Basketball Court Lighting
Rodeo & Horse Arena Lighting
Football Field Lighting Fixtures
Tennis Court Lighting

RLLD Commercial Lighting carries a wide variety of industrial & commercial lighting fixtures and have the completed lighting projects as case studies. If you can not find what you are looking for call us toll free at 1-866-654-3961 and we will find it for you. Our home office is located in Houston, Texas with warehouses located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including New York NY, Los Angeles CA, Miami, FL. Chicago, IL. Denver CO., New Orleans, La., Cleveland, Ohio, Kansas City, Mo., Mesa, Arizona, Virginia Beach, Va., Omaha, Nebraska, Oakland, California, Miami, Florida, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Arlington, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, Denton, TX, McKinney, Texas, Midland, TX, Killeen, Texas, Dallas TX, San Antonio, TX, Austin, TX, ALBQ, NYC, LA, MPLS.

Athletic Sports Field Lighting

RLLD Commercial Lighting athletic and sports field lights can be used to illuminate any type of arena, stadium, playing field, or sports center. Similar to floodlights, these fixtures can mount on metal or wooden poles and deliver evenly distributed, glare free lighting of game areas, spectator stands, concession areas, and areas leading from the parking lot to the stands. RLLD athletic and sports field lighting fixtures feature multi-tap ballast controls in voltages of 120, 208, 240, 277, and even 408V. Athletic and sports field lighting fixtures can either be 400 or 1500 watts in strength.

With such diversity, lighting design professionals and DIY installers can build a custom sports lighting system specific to the dimensions of their facility. Such a system will use power more efficiently and produce optimal foot-candles and color rendering for nighttime arena activity.

Certain customized athletic field lighting kits can be obtained from RLL Design. These kits have been pre-configured by lighting design experts on our staff who combine their expertise of technology with a keen awareness of the needs of particular, individual sports. DIY clients will benefit greatly by investing in these kits, because each sports lighting kit represents a singe purchase solution to the complex demands of an entire facility. Professional contractors will save time and money doing research into local light control regulations and calculations of necessary foot-candle minimums. By working in tandem with an RLL Design specialist, all of this information can be readily passed to the contractor at the time of purchase. Professionals can assure their clients that the sports lighting kits they propose meet with all safety requirements for a particular game and dark sky laws intended to limit light pollution in various areas.

DIY lighting installers often rely on RLLD’s trained team of lighting design experts to educate them in all pertinent light pollution laws when working in a new area, and to calculate optimal lighting levels needed for a specific size athletic field. This makes the installer’s ultimate choice of a lighting kit or custom lighting system more seamless, as our consulting process will quickly determine which poles, mounts, and fixture types are most needed to fulfill your requirements. Our reservoir of knowledge represents a professional level skill set available to the end user at the time of purchase at no additional charge. Extensive, ongoing consultation can also be arranged if necessary for a small, reasonable fee.

When selecting sports field lighting fixtures, poles, and accessories in any of the following athletic environments, it is best for both professional designers and DIY installers to rely on experts familiar with safety, power savings, and light pollution laws in order to avoid wasting time and possibly miscalculating one or two line items and buying the wrong equipment.

Soccer Field Lighting
Lighting a soccer field of any size depends greatly on the height of the poles you choose, which is why RLLD Commercial Lighting inventories a wide range of poles and pole mounting accessories so you can position your athletic field lights at that appropriate levels. RLLD will help you analyze the dimensions of your field, the nature of the surrounding area, and the lighting requirements in your community. We will then combine this data and develop the schematic for your soccer field lighting system. This helps make the choice of fixtures, mounts, and poles much more efficient and cost effective for both the professional and DIY installer alike.

Baseball Field Lighting
Our baseball lighting fixtures feature sophisticated optics and advanced reflectors that generate superior lumens per watt output in comparison to other lights. The advantage this offers becomes immediately clear when smaller communities and organizations can invest in smaller sports lighting fixtures and achieve the same results as inferior grade fixtures operating at higher wattages and temperatures. Professional baseball field lighting designers often win bids when they point out that safer conditions and more efficient use of power carry a built-in return on investment, giving their proposal stronger negotiating power when bidding on jobs for municipalities, little league associations, churches, and summer camps.

Softball Field Lighting
Softball field lighting fixtures feature advanced anodized reflectors in 2, 4, 5, or 6 optic measurements that are engineered to increase lumens per watt output. This offers a powerful competitive advantage in situations where clients are operating on tight budgets. Often, recreational softball field lights require only 400W fixtures strategically positioned for effective lighting. This energy efficiency of a lower wattage system allows contractors to win bids in even the most competitive environments, and opens the doors for them to service everyone from small churches, rural school districts, and homeowners associations.

Volleyball Court Lighting
Most recreational volleyball courts can be effectively lit with a general area sports lighting kit. Fixtures housing high-pressure sodium lights provide excellent illumination and also work to repel insects. Clients who cannot afford custom volleyball court lighting system design can still light their recreational courts with RLLD's helpful experts and prefab volleyball lighting kits.

Basketball Court Lighting
Metal Halide sports lighting fixtures make any basketball court look like a professional, all-star court regardless of its size. Basketball court lights feature 400W and 1000W forward die cast fixtures, Davit style mounting brackets, and mounting hardware and base cover. With the assistance of an RLLD Commercial Lighting expert, both professionals and DIY lighting installers can custom build a sports lighting system for any outdoor basketball court. Professionals can streamline their proposals with expert advice and special athletic lighting kits designed for recreational, half-sized, and full-size basketball courts, or they can customize systems for any client by purchasing fixtures, mounts, and a wide variety of light poles separately with the help of their RLL Design representative.

Rodeo & Horse Arena Lighting
Equestrian arena and rodeo lights come in 400W and 1000W MH lamps that feature a powder coated die cast housing with a formed aluminum lid. Engineered to weather extremes of temperature in all US geographies, these full cutoff sports lighting fixtures also feature tempered flat glass lenses and gaskets with clamp band glare shielding. Made for flexibility in lighting design, equestrian sports lighting fixtures can be customized separately or purchased in a variety of kits for DIY installation.

Golf Course & Driving Range Lighting
RLLD Commercial Lighting golf lights feature Solite-tempered, powerful, impact resistant glass. Halogen lamps provide clear lighting of greens throughout all hours of the night. Longer bulb life of up to 10,000 hours significantly offsets replacement costs, and added value comes to high-end golf course and driving range light clients who can adjust the level of lighting themselves to create soft lighting or even seasonal lighting effects for special events and holidays.

Football Field Lighting Fixtures
Football field athletic lighting fixtures feature lamps made from fine, tempered glass. Because football field lighting systems are normally highly customized, RLLD Commercial Lighting inventories a wide selection in poles and also 2, 3, and 4 light angle cross arm bars to build custom lighting systems. More precision in building custom systems means greater control of light pollution and minimal glare for players and spectators. RLLD Design specialists are experts in foot-candle plotting and can even help you design an athletic field lighting system for a multi-function facility so you or your client can enjoy year-round use of the grounds during the off-season.

Tennis Court Lighting
Tennis court lighting kits are configured by RLLD sports lighting experts to produce optimal foot-candle levels and excellent color rendering. A variety of optical systems and sophisticated reflectors keep the light centered in the court and avoid spilling it into surrounding buildings and homes. A wide range of light poles allows the installer to precisely position tennis court lights to allow you to clearly see both the court and the ball in play. Custom tennis court lighting systems can also be developed with the help of an RLLD Commercial lighting design consultant to ensure full compliance of United States Tennis Court and Track Building Association.

RLLD Commercial Lighting carries a wide variety of industrial & commercial lighting fixtures.
If you can not find what you are looking for call us toll free at 1-866-654-3961 and RLLD Commercial Design will find it for you. Our commercial and athletic sports field lighting design studio is located in Houston, Texas with warehouses located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including New York NY, Los Angeles CA, Miami, FL. Chicago, IL. Denver CO., New Orleans, La., Cleveland, Ohio, Kansas City, Mo., Mesa, Arizona, Virginia Beach, Va., Omaha, Nebraska, Oakland, California, Miami, Florida, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Arlington, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, Denton, TX, McKinney, Texas, Midland, TX, Killeen, Texas, Dallas TX, San Antonio, TX, Austin, TX, ALBQ, NYC, LA, MPLS.