Circuit of the Americas Lighting Case Study
Circuit of The Americas™ (COTA) in Austin is a one-of-a-kind destination for performance, education, business and sporting use. During the fall of 2010, COTA began a new construction project, which included a 3.4-mile race track, multiple facilities and parking areas that accommodate 25,000 vehicles.
COTA needed an affordable lighting controls system that could help manage the lighting. “We were looking for a controls system that would be the most economical solution for the project,” said Michael James, MEJ & Associates, Inc., electrical engineers for the project.
MEJ & Associates, Inc. began investigating the use of the ROAMview™ wireless outdoor lighting monitoring system from Acuity Brands® for COTA. ROAMview accurately controls lighting while maintaining and diagnosing lighting problems with a computerized central system.
“One of the chief benefits of the ROAMview system in a large facility is cost savings,” said James. “When you are looking at a facility the size of COTA, the ROAMview system was substantially more economical versus traditional systems.”
COTA installed 139 ROAMview control nodes across approximately 375 acres of the facility. The majority of the nodes were placed on metal halide fixtures within parking lots, the main street at the venue (COTA Boulevard) as well as new pedestrian walkways and roadways. Nodes were also installed in a newly constructed paddock area used for staging equipment.
Off to the Races
“In addition to managing our lighting, the added benefit of the ROAMview lighting control system is the ability to increase flexibility of our facility’s lighting with preset options,” said Leo Garcia, COTA head electrician of energy management. “Having the ability to manipulate lighting to meet the constantly changing needs of all our different types of events is something that we really appreciate.”
COTA uses five lighting control scenarios with 10 zones for different events (i.e., concerts or racing events). “The different scenarios and zones help us maintain traffic control and illumination for areas where pedestrians are walking,” said Garcia. “Plus, the control monitor is installed in one central location, so we can easily adjust all of our outdoor lighting needs from one location.
“The system accomplished more than what it was planned to do – it successfully maintains parking lot, roadway and public walkway lighting with flexibility,” said Garcia. “It has created a safe and manageable environment for a multitude of events and situations.”
Products Included In This Solution
