NVC Lighting Revives Sports Centre with Dynamic Lighting

The state-of-the-art complex, which enables aspiring cricketers to develop their talents while earning a degree, is a groundbreaking partnership between the university and Square One Cricket ltd.

Located within the university’s new Brighton Sport and Health Complex, the academy ranks as the world’s second-largest indoor cricket facility. It provides dynamic, high-quality training environments for cricketers of every age, gender, background, and ability, extending far beyond the student community.

As part of the project to transform the site into an innovative and cutting-edge complex, TJ Electrical were awarded the lighting contract.  Working in partnership with manufacturer NVC Lighting and its local wholesaler – Rexel, TJ Electrical specified NVC Lighting’s Saturn luminaire – a high-output, rectangular shaped high-bay with sensor and dimming options – as the ideal solution for the project  

Ian Marsh, Contracts Manager at TJ Electrical, who oversaw the project, commented: 

This was a major project for us – the area, once home to multiple tennis courts, has been transformed into the new Square One Cricket Centre. Our role was not only to revitalise the space with dynamic lighting but also to ensure full compliance with strict ECB standards, as both national and regional cricket teams could be using the facility. Getting the lighting just right was complex, so we worked with a Rexel engineer and NVC Lighting to plan the lighting design to ensure we were able to meet professional cricket lighting standards.

Paul Addison, Lighting Design Engineer at Rexel, worked on creating an optimal lighting layout that would meet the rigorous requirements set out by the ECB.

The standards mandate 1500 lux – light intensity – for sports facilities, a leap from the standard 500 lux required for office spaces. Uniformity, the measurement of how evenly light is distributed across an area, was also an important factor as the cricket centre would need to have a uniformity of 0.9. Commercial offices are required to have a uniformity of 0.6.

Paul said:

This was a very high spec and challenging design to meet the ECB’s strict standards. Accounting for glare, light uniformity and spread of light can be difficult to achieve with high-powered lighting. You have to maintain consistent levels of shadows and bright spots to ensure that the lights don’t dazzle players or cause shadows, which can disrupt practices. When I first came across NVC Lighting’s Saturn fitting, I had to query it with Peter Adams, their Head of Technical, because I thought it was too good to be true. It gives us the very low glare we are looking for without compromising on power and performance.

Rexel’s completed design utilised 120 Saturn light fittings, which were then installed by Ian and his team.

In addition to meeting the ECB’s standards, the luminaires were chosen for their reliability, flexibility and efficiency. With selectable power and CCT, the panels are non-corrosive and boast NVC Lighting’s trusted 7-year warranty to give additional peace of mind.

Providing up to 193 lumens per circuit watt, it has a high efficiency rating which is further enhanced by the lights’ choice of 100W, 150W and 200W selectable wattage outputs, and 4000K, 5000K and 6500K selectable CCT.

Ian continued:

Once the lighting design was complete, it was really simple to install the lights themselves. NVC Lighting is a company that’s easy to work with, from speedy communication, first-class products at competitive prices and strong technical expertise.

Paul added:

I’ve worked with some other products from different manufacturers but when I came across the Saturn, I was stunned by how ideal it is for high-profile projects like this one. I’ve used it for several other projects since and it always delivers the results we want.

NVC Lighting offers a complete end-to-end service and is on hand to support customers at all stages of projects, from consultations to on-site assistance, as well as expert technical support and design services.

With a range of LED lighting that is energy-efficient without compromising on performance, it offers installers high-quality products that are easy to install and maintain and can be seamlessly integrated with smart lighting control technology, creating spaces that help athletes maximise their performance and prioritise comfort.

For more information, visit www.nvcuk.com.