Boston's TD Garden gained a highly efficient controllable lighting solution that maintained or improved lighting quality, significantly reduced energy and maintenance costs, and benefited from new design work and utility rebates.
May 12, 2016 - Lighting
Located at 100 Legends Way in Boston, TD Garden is the home of the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics, as well as world-renowned concerts, sporting events, family shows, ice shows and other events. Owned by Delaware North Companies, Inc., the 755,000-square foot facility houses 19,600 arena seats and 1,100 club seats, 90 executive suites and three private restaurants. More than 3.5 million people attend approximately 200 public events each year at TD Garden.
The original interior lighting consisted of fluorescent T8 luminaires in the administrative and concourse areas, 1,000 watt (W) quartz and metal halide lamps inside the arena, and the building utilized a limited old generation lighting control system. While this design was considered state of the art in 1995 — the year the facility was built — the rapid interim evolution of lighting technology and best practice prompted TD Garden to initiate an upgrade.
The facility management team wanted to transition to an LED lighting and controls system that reduced energy and maintenance costs and managed every aspect of the lighting, a complex project with detailed requirements that required the right solution provider.
“Delaware North and the Jacobs family are committed to bringing an environmentally responsible approach to all our building projects. We wanted our renovations to also incorporate the latest and greatest technology, and Sylvania Lighting Solutions brought that with LED and associated controls aligned perfectly with our design intent,” says Hugh Lombardi, Senior Vice President and General Manager of TD Garden. “The new LED lighting and lighting controls help the TD Garden by providing better energy efficiency, operational cost reduction, consistent presentation and control, flexibility to address various tenant and client needs, and future opportunities to expand and evolve.”
To evaluate and execute the upgrade, TD Garden engaged Sylvania Lighting Solutions (SLS), an Osram Americas company and industry leader in turnkey energy management solutions. SLS provided a suite of services to TD Garden with a single point of contact, including an audit and survey of the existing lighting system, project management (including rebate administration), and design, installation and commissioning of the new energy-efficient lighting solution.
Full interior photometric designs with 3D light rendering for TD Garden were developed out of the Sylvania Lighting Solutions Design Center in Middletown, N.Y. The SLS “one source” approach helped save time, money and energy. The whole process was streamlined, helping make complex lighting and energy solutions easier to implement at TD Garden.
SLS delivers the future of lighting and controls
One hundred sixty-six 1,000 W quartz metal halide luminaires, which served as house lights providing general arena lighting, were replaced with 220 W LED luminaires with Osram LEDs and Optotronic power supplies, resulting in 78 percent energy savings and improving the lighting quality. SLS partnered with a local firm to develop an LED luminaire that would reduce wattage while maintaining light output, which enabled TD Garden to continue operation without interruption.
In the management administrative area, 386 2-foot by 2-foot 59 W T8 fluorescent luminaires were replaced with 37 W 2x2 Osram LED luminaires, generating 42 percent energy savings. SLS designed a complete architectural photometric layout of each space to demonstrate how the new luminaires would perform after installation. Due to improved illumination, the luminaire count was reduced from 386 to 360 luminaires as part of SLS’s redesign, generating additional cost savings. SLS also tuned the lights appropriately for individual employees in the area, without sacrificing the overall ambient look.
In the stairwells, 412 56W fluorescent luminaires were replaced with 36 W LED luminaires. The luminaires feature an onboard occupancy sensor that detects if the stairwell is occupied. When it is, illumination — capped at 80 percent of full output — is provided. When it is not, light level is reduced to 20 percent so that these safety lights are on at all times. The 36 percent reduction in power is therefore significantly enhanced via ongoing light level reduction. Due to the challenges of retrofit installation involving new control wiring — difficult access coupled with a concrete envelope — the lighting controls communicate using wireless radio signals.
A variety of other spaces, from premium meeting spaces to lavatories, were also upgraded in detail. In the Madison Square Garden room, which is used for corporate functions and meetings, TD Garden tasked SLS with a complete redesign of the lighting with the primary goal not being energy savings, but instead producing an upscale décor. The expert team at the SLS Design Center developed a layout that met both those objectives. Custom pendant LED luminaires were mounted over the bar for a visible upscale look, and recessed LED downlights contribute most of the functional lighting. As a result, nearly 2,000 kilowatts of energy savings annually was achieved by combining good design and decorative equipment with energy-efficient light sources.
Overall, lighting quality was maintained or improved across the ten floors of the facility while dramatically reducing energy and maintenance costs. But that is only half the story. TD Garden required that all lighting be controlled in a detailed manner, allowing centralized management of all lighting functions anywhere at any time via web-based access.
After evaluating TD Garden specific needs and lighting layout, the SLS design team utilized the Encelium Light Management System as the right solution. The Encelium system consists of controllers distributed throughout the space in a flexible manner to accommodate control needs from single luminaires to complete circuits.
The controllers have the ability to control a wide assortment of lighting technologies from various providers. Overall, 90 electrical panels were replaced with Encelium controllers, used to control 16,000 luminaires operating on 3,000 circuits. SLS designed the control system to implement automatic shut-off or light level reduction when it is not needed.
SLS expertise provides solutions to business issues
The Garden had a unique situation that went beyond just turning lights on and off though, requiring SLS to evaluate how to best satisfy multiple lighting requirements in a single space. In the 88 premium suites — box seating offering the best arena views — TD Garden now has the ability to create and select three different lighting scenes, which wasn’t the case before.
Performing artists require less illumination in the suites compared to game events. In order to reconcile between these multiple needs, SLS established three primary scenes. During a concert performance, for example, the lighting scenes are set to illuminate individual bar and food service areas, but keep the rest of the suite dark to match the mood of the show. At full illumination, the lights are dimmed to 40 percent, as the suites receive ample light from external light sources.
Similarly, in meeting spaces such as the Madison Square Garden room, the lighting control system provides the event manager convenient push button access to three lighting scenes depending on how the space is being used. Once again thinking outside the box, SLS recognized that the Encelium system could help manage not just the lighting fixtures, but other electrical equipment, therefore providing TD Garden with even more control. More than 200 non-lighting control points, like television screens in the suites, directories or way finders in the concourses, and menu and message boards, were also connected to the Encelium system, which turns them off when they are not in use.
Using Polaris 3D, any facility operator with access can control every aspect of the building’s lighting from anywhere via their computer and an internet connection.
The bottom line
Thanks to Sylvania Lighting Solutions, TD Garden gained a highly efficient controllable lighting solution that maintained or improved lighting quality, significantly reduced energy and maintenance costs, benefited from new design work and utility rebates, and is comprehensively managed by a scalable and flexible control system.
The project began in 2013 and was finished in October 2014. Sylvania Lighting Solutions continues to work with the Garden on additional enhancements to the facility. Like a championship team, there is always the next victory to claim.
The anticipated energy savings with the LED house lights upgrade is 78 percent, with a 42 percent savings in the management administrative area. The Madison Square Garden room, used for corporate functions and meetings, will see nearly 2,000 kilowatts of energy savings annually.
