light products - Illuminating Engineering Society

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
P R O J E C T
Block Party
The $449.4 million ballpark complex is just one piece
of a 26-block downtown redevelopment initiative that
includes restaurants, shopping, museums and other
tourist attractions. As a result, Petco’s sports lighting
can’t upset the neighbors.
“Each project has its own unique issues, and Petco had
more than its share,” says Ed Ragain, president of M-E
Engineers, who was responsible for the sports lighting
aspect. “Direct glare and indirect reflective glare were
significant issues in the design process due to the location
of the park, existing development and proposed
high-rise development around the park. Glare models
were prepared to support the impact the sports lighting
would have on the environment, along with a detailed
inventory of all existing buildings in a four-block radius
around the park.”
As is common in stadium projects, light trespass considerations
also factored in. “Several lighting and environmental
goals were presented to us by the city, or permission
for the project would be in jeopardy,” says
Ragain. “Dark Sky issues, surrounding roadway issues,
hotel room views into the seating bowl at night, the team
owner’s condominium viewing into the bowl at night
and the waterfront environment all were addressed during
design.”
Inside the stadium, lighting hangs off the front of two
200-ft high infield towers—vertical structures behind
home plate that house suites and also serve to break up
the seating bowl, creating different “neighborhoods”
within the stadium. “The design architect wanted a different
‘look’ from other ballparks,” says Ragain.
Consequently, normal sports light racks could not be
used for these lights. Other issues inside the bowl were
shadow control for high definition lighting and balance of
illumination across the playing field.
Lighting solutions included mixing 2000-watt and
1500-watt products along with special glare and spill light
shielding. The shielding was provided for sports fixtures
Two “garden buildings” (foreground center and right)
frame the home plate entrance. A silhoutte lighting
approach provides drama and contrast.
metal halide lamps, provide ambient light for the main
and upper concourses. Continuous wallwashers with fluorescent
lamps provide a uniform soft glow on stucco
walls and steel trusses on the main and club levels.
GE supplied the lighting for Petco Park, and the project
received a 2004 GE Edison Award of Merit.
‘Inconspicuous’ is the word
most often used to describe the
design approach. Indeed, there is
an almost complete absence of
decorative lighting elements
with direct line of sight to areas outside the bowl at
motorist intersections. The fixture aiming strategy
included multiple full-zone aiming schemes to control
hard line shadows on the playing field. “This aiming
strategy was created by our staff for NBA and NHL arenas
around the country, and we have incorporated some
of these ideas for outdoor facilities,” Ragain adds.
On the field, inside the stadium gates and out on the
plaza grounds, Petco Park embodies San Diego. It’s no
surprise a Southern California surfer boy like Ryan
Klesko feels right at home.
About the Designers: Martin E. Ragain, LEED AP,
is president and co-founder of M-E Engineers, Inc.
His experience includes sports facilities, institutional,
health care, historic renovations, industrial, science
and technology, commercial, and power generation
facilities. Mr. Ragain has authored technical
reports on sports lighting for the NFL, NBA, NHL,
and MLB along with providing sports lighting and
environmental impact studies for several new professional sports facilities
around the world. He has received multiple IIDA Awards for his
sports projects.
Joy Yamada is an associate at Illume/M-E Engineers
and director of the lighting department for six
offices in the U.S. and London. Project experience
includes commercial office buildings, master planning,
hospitality, retail and residential. She is an
associate member of the IALD.
Krystof Pavek, Member IESNA (1991), formerly of
Illume M-E Engineers, is now designer/owner of
Luminatica, a lighting design consulting firm in
Rancho Santa Fe, CA, and product designer with
Auroralight, Inc., Carlsbad, CA. He holds a Masters
degree in lighting from Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute’s Lighting Research Center, and has
received four design awards.
December 2005 LD+A 33