The project to relight part of the downtown Tucson has used Acuity Brands’ Bern Series of Holophane luminaires, which use energy-efficient induction technology. The Holophane brand is a high-quality and lowest total cost of ownership lighting solutions for commercial, industrial, and outdoor applications for more than 110 years.
The city recently developed a masterplan to reinvigorate its downtown to bring more local citizens and tourists to the area. The revitalization project focused primarily on Scott Avenue, with neighbourhood residents, designers, business owners, engineers, utilities and organizations joining together to create an environment that encourages pedestrian traffic. Enhancements such as a solar-illuminated turquoise trail, a dog water fountain, shade trees and gryphon tracks in the sidewalk are designed to stimulate interest along a street that was once considered a minor artery.
During a fast-track design/build project, the city reduced parking along Scott Avenue and narrowed the roadway to make it more pedestrian-friendly. Walkways were widened to facilitate access to restaurants, hotels, businesses and attractions, including the Tucson Temple of Music and Art – home to the state’s leading professional theatre, the Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral, and the Tucson Children’s Museum. The prospect of increased pedestrian traffic, however, raised concerns about safety and security, which led to the installation of a new lighting system.
Scott Avenue was previously illuminated with cobra head, high pressure sodium lamp fixtures that created uninviting yellowish puddles of light and left some areas dark. To replace these, the city selected twin-headed Bern Series fixtures from Holophane to install along both sides of Scott Avenue. The contemporary looking bell-shaped luminaires are part of the Holophane line of GlasWerks II Euro-Styled fixtures.
The decorative Bern luminaires has been selected thanks to its aesthetically appealing profile, and their bell-shaped housing mimics the light fixtures that were installed along the tracks. The Bern Series luminaires provided the city of Tucson a luminaire that not only met all their expectations for quality, colour, performance and uniformity of illumination, but also gave them the desired aesthetic appeal to meet their needs for renovating the appearance of the streetscapes.
The Bern Series luminaires are classified as IES full cut-off and meet Tucson’s requirements for remaining star sky friendly while the combination of optics and fixture design restrict light at the critical angles, eliminating any direct uplight.
Bern Series luminaires use 85-watt induction lamps, selected for their energy efficiency and white light. Bern Series fixtures offer tool-less entry access to the lamp and electrical components to facilitate maintenance.
As part of a comprehensive lighting solution, the city is using photo-controls from Acuity Brands’ DTL controls brand.
