Beacon Hill Park is a much loved community facility in Beaconsfield, Quebec. A District Park with an area of more than 31,000m2, it consists of a baseball diamond, a soccer field, a basketball court, children’s play structures, three asphalt tennis courts, and a chalet serving the 20,000 residents in the local community. 

In the winter, an outdoor ice rink is constructed on the basketball court, and attracts a regular stream of neighbourhood skaters and hockey players. 

As part of an ongoing effort to enhance its sports and recreational facilities, the city decided to replace the lighting that illuminates the tennis courts and basketball court / ice rink, and the surrounding access areas. 

Working with local contractors to select the right products for the job, the city replaced twenty 1000W, 120-277V metal halide floodlights with high performance 400W LED fixtures. Products were proposed by Concept Illumination, and supplied to the winning contractor. The fixtures were replaced one for one, two on each of ten poles using custom made bullhorn brackets supplied to the contractor by Concept Illumination. 

The products used are 4000K – a neutral colour temperature that maintains a balance between functional illumination and aesthetics. Each fixture is positioned to ensure that light is distributed precisely where it is needed, ensuring minimal light trespass to the surrounding residences. 

Daniel Herz, who headed up the project for Concept Illumination, explained how his firm took on the role of consultant in the project. 

“It was important that we engaged closely with the contractor to propose solutions that would meet the goals of the project,” Herz says. “A detailed photometric analysis was done to make sure we exceeded the 300 lux average required by the city while maintaining uniformity, which is very important for sports lighting.” 

The new lighting was switched on at the end of October 2017 and is expected to result in substantial energy savings. And, by providing improved visibility around the desired areas, the upgrade has also increased the feeling of safety in the park. 

“The goals were to reduce energy usage, improve visibility and generally enhance the area,” says André Gervais, section head of projects for the city of Beaconsfield. “It’s been operating for four months so far and we are very satisfied.”