GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
George Washington University’s 5,000 seat Charles E. Smith Arena, located in the heart of DC, just four blocks from the White House, is a multipurpose arena and home to the NCAA GWU Colonials.
Pearl Street Systems was contracted to upgrade the existing metal halide lighting system which required frequent re-lamping that was both costly (requiring a lift and floor protection) and disruptive to arena activities. Light levels were also lower than desired and inconsistent, dimming over time due to the depreciating nature of metal halide lamps.
Pearl Street’s engineered solution included the replacement of the existing light fixtures with new high output LED models that incorporated up light to improve the look of the arena. Light levels were increased by over 50% and the new lighting system achieves the NCAA basketball standards for light levels for ESPN televised play. The solution also included the installation of a wireless lighting control system that has multiple preset lighting scenes for various activities including basketball (practice and game scenes), volleyball, concerts, lectures and other events.
With respect to energy savings, the new system consumes an impressive 60% less energy than the previous system, saving considerable dollars and reducing the university’s Carbon footprint.
The new lighting system received a utility incentive of $20,000. The project will generate operating cost savings of over $40,000 annually and will deliver an economic payback of less than 4 years.
With Pearl Street Systems, all our services are performed “in-house”
With a highly qualified and experienced staff of LC certified lighting designers, engineers and field-tested project managers