The lighting industry has come a long way in the adoption of LED luminaires that are more energy efficient than high-intensity discharge (HID) and fluorescent lighting. The U.S. Department of Energy highlights this in a recent report summary that shows 12.6 percent market penetration for LEDs and over 469 trillion Btu (tBtu) in source energy savings. However, large spaces like convention centers and sports complexes that were developed long ago—of which there are many—still feature old luminaires that have low light and color rendering index (CRI) qualities that restrict the full potential of the space.
Nowadays, a modern multifunctional space like the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana; feature a leadership summit, a trade show, a rock concert, and a wedding all in the same month.
More Possibilities
As the terms suggests, a multifunctional space needs to be able to host a myriad of events. Luminaires with low light and CRI qualities restricts the usage of the space. Imagine a rock concert under bright white lights: It simply won’t work. LED luminaires offer more possibilities on the usage of the space and having tunable white and dimming capabilities also mean the possibility of featuring more shows and concerts.
Conventional tunable white solutions require dual systems to mix colors. However, doubling the fixtures also doubles the price. The challenge then is to find high-efficacy tunable white fixtures that don’t compromise on lumen output and performance, whilst remaining cost-effective. Several lighting companies feature tunable white solutions but Colorflip stands out from the rest.
Functional Luminaires
With tunable white and smooth dimming in one luminaire, your space can have the flexibility of bright, intense light for trade shows as well as the option for dimmable software lights for banquets, wedding receptions, and other events that need warm tones. Furthermore, the added benefit of reduced electricity and maintenance costs allow multifunctional spaces like the Allen County Memorial Coliseum to have a very short payback period when switching to LED luminaires.
Choosing the Right Luminaire
So you’re ready to upgrade your lighting for your multifunctional space. The question now is how can you choose the right luminaire brand?
1. Experience – Choose a luminaire that has already been tried and tested in the market. A luminaire with a vast portfolio of similar installations is reliable and guarantees quality.
2. Efficacy – Choose a luminaire that has a variety of lumen outputs depending on your mounting height with high efficacy for greater performance, savings and product lifetime.
3. Control – Choose a luminaire that has tunable white solutions for color control and functional dimming such as DMX or zero to 10V.
4. Flicker-Free – Choose a luminaire that guarantees video flicker-free to integrate more features in your space such as media, live broadcast, and more.
See what the executive vice president of Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and the engineers from MSKTD & Associates had to say about building the right multifunctional convention center here.
