LIGHTING
Bathed in sunlight at
Cardiff International Pool
SWIMMING POOL LIGHTING
Achieving optimum lighting
conditions is a necessity
for most indoor sports,
S
wimming continues to be the resulting in dark or dull areas in the
second highest participation pool hall. Natural light levels will vary
sport in Great Britain, second throughout the day and across the year.
only to walking, which doesn’t Swimming pool halls are often most
share the same need for specialist facili- susceptible to excessive glare when the
however, swimming brings
ties or equipment. sun is low, during early morning and late
a very particular set of
The success of the GB Swimming team evening, and for extended periods dur-
in Beijing in 2008 combined with the ing the winter months, when the water
problems to overcome and
UK’s preparations to host the London surface can appear to be ‘mirrored’ –
considerations to address
Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 which could impair a lifeguard’s ability
says Mark Thomas
have no doubt helped to maintain swim- to see bathers below the surface. There’s
ming’s high public profile. This has led to usually a trade off between making the
the demand for more 50m pools around most of the contribution of natural light
the country – many of which are at vari- and controlling specular glare, solar gain
ous stages of design and construction and heat loss at acceptable levels. The
and will have the potential to host major use of artificial lighting in a swimming
swimming events, as well as meeting the pool therefore makes an important
demands of the local community. contribution to maintaining safe
conditions at all times of the day.
Going natural
More than ever, maximising the use of Selection, location and ambiance
natural lighting in swimming pools is The selection and location of light fit-
an important objective for owners and tings should aim to minimise the risk
operators,due to the environmental of glare and reflectance from the pool.
sustainability and cost benefits that it Problems are most likely to occur with
brings, as well as the improvement to wall-mounted fittings where they are
Natural lighting at The Peak swimming the user experience. Roof lights and directed across the pool and can cause
pool in Stirling Sports Village windows are an important difficulties in visibility for bathers, staff
feature of the pool design, pro- and spectators. As a result, up-lighting
viding contact with the outside rather than direct lighting is preferred
world and advertising swimming for general illumination, as this mini-
to people passing by. mises glare and provides more even
The orientation of the build- distribution and better uniformity.
ing and the placement of roof However, it may not always be possible
lights and glazing need to be to achieve lighting levels with up-
very carefully considered in re- lighters alone and it may be necessary
lation to controlling glare and to supplement these with carefully
environmental impact. It is im- positioned downlighters for when
portant to provide a balance of natural lighting levels fade.
natural light while avoiding Light fittings should preferably be lo-
areas of high contrast, cated above the pool surround to make
Issue 1 2010 © cybertrek 2010 Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 65
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84