The Dallas Cowboys will be in the spotlight tomorrow night when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a do-or-die NFL Wild Card playoff game. And shining that energy-efficient lighting in their new billion-dollar football stadium is GE.
Light touch: The Cowboys stadium is the largest NFL venue ever built. “Our stadium has capacity for as many as 100,000 people and our football games are some of the most watched in the NFL, so making sure our field has effective lighting is imperative to our business,” says Jack Hill, general manager, Cowboys Stadium. “We needed a proven and robust solution that could enhance and sustain the viewers’ experience and GE delivered.” Photo: James Smith/Dallas Cowboys.
At the onset of the project, GE laid out a photometric design that took into account the complex problem of maintaining uniform lighting and light levels on the field that would eliminate shadows and glare for fans — as well as for all of the High Definition TV cameras positioned throughout the stadium.
GE’s solution combines 764 complete lighting fixtures, known as “luminaries,” to light the entire field including the sidelines and end zones. Ninety-six of the lights feature a “hot re-strike” capability that lets them come back on almost instantaneously during a temporary loss of power. That’s especially important during stadium events – as standard sport lighting requires 11 to 15 minutes to cool down and come back on after a momentary loss of power. “Having thousands of fans sit in the dark for 15 minutes is not acceptable,” says Jack Bohner, GE’s commercial director for sports and entertainment. “GE’s technology solves this problem efficiently and really enhances the quality of light in the Cowboys stadium.”
The designers and architects who created the suites and club space at the stadium also turned to GE, using advanced LED lights. “We wanted to make the spaces feel warmer,” said Stephanie King, principal designer with the design lighting firm CRA. “It imparts a more residential feel while respecting the contemporary design and functionality of the stadium.”
I saw the light: Since sustained power in a stadium is imperative, GE also developed a solution for the Cowboys that includes 70 substations, 15 switchboards and a variety of other electrical distribution products to provide emergency power during an outage or surge. Photo: James Smith/Dallas Cowboys.
* Read today’s announcement
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