Many courts also feature play areas for other games.
Numerous organizations build
custom home tennis courts that are multi-game play areas designed to suit
the athletic pursuits of entire families. Such courts can be very complex
challenges to light because different types of sports require different levels
of luminance, and they often require different fixtures as well.
In a recent project by RLLD
Commercial Lighting, our design team was
called upon to configure a custom tennis court lighting system for a home sport
court that featured a full-sized tennis court and side batting cage.
A homeowner by the name of Mike Grillot in Missouri found
us on the Internet and contacted us directly. Based upon our case history and
reputation for configuring systems with products made in the USA only, he felt
comfortable working directly with our team of professionals.
Mr. Grillot had already estimated that he would need six
fixtures for his
tennis court lighting system. He did not need any type of decorative
equipment; his concern was about lighting both athletic areas with the proper
amount of visibility without glare. He asked if we could determine which series
of fixture, and which degree of luminance, would best meet his needs within
these basic parameters.
Using our
photometric
lighting design software, we ran simulations of various tennis court
lighting systems that featured a six pole layout around the court. Knowing the
optimal levels of light for safe and comfortable play based on ITF (International
Tennis Federation) standards.
Being familiar with the distribution of light offered by
various fixtures, we were able to narrow down fixture choices to a system series
that would create a glare free field best suited to Mr. Grillot’s particular
court.
We then had to render the customization of this system to
also light the batting cage. This would have to be done with separate
fixtures. The light would have to be directed into the cage in such a way as to
avoid creating a compound field of light that would generate glare or white
spots on the court.
In other words, we had to keep the light from the tennis
court and the batting cage from combining into a field of two much light.
Our software allows us to not only try different types of
fixtures, but also move them around in three dimensions to see exactly where
they should be positioned to achieve the desired effect. We can also experiment
with different types of mounts to achieve the precise lighting angles necessary
for custom projects like this.
What we eventually developed in this tennis court lighting
project was a six pole system surrounding the court, with 1000W HID
Metal Halide
light
fixtures. We used a fixture type known as the
CXL series, which features basic
lamp housing with a utilitarian intention. The poles were 20 feet high, which
is standard for tennis courts.
For the
batting cage, we used the same types of fixtures, but we fence mounted them at
14 feet so Mr. Grillot could adjust them when necessary. This custom mounting
eliminated the need for more expensive specialty fixtures that could potentially
have cost Mr. Grillot a great deal of money.
RLLD Commercial Lighting carries a wide
variety of
industrial lights & commercial lighting fixtures. 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
