Changwon LG Sakers Arena (KOREA)

Summary:
The Changwon Indoor Gymnasium, the home court of the Changwon LG Sakers of the Korean Basketball League (KBL), is located within the Changwon Sports Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, and has been built in November 1996 with a budget of 19.5 billion won, or approximately $15,843,310 USD. It has been used as the Sakers home court since its establishment in 1997 and also has hosted the 14th Asian Games in Busan for handball. Since the 1997-1998 seasons, the arena has ranked first in attendance every year among KBL stadiums. During the 2013-2014 season, spectators surpassed 2 million, resulting in Changwon being given the name of the ‘Mecca of Basketball’. The scale of the arena is 14,146m2 and can seat as many as 6,000 spectators. The installation for this court consists of 86 units of metal halide 2kW products replaced with 59 units of GigaTera SUFA product (400W / 800W).

Benefit:
- Significant focus on improvement to the illuminated visual environment through improvements in color-rendering index levels exceeding 90Ra
- Energy reduction of more than 84% compared to existing HID lights
- Additional energy reductions enabled through GeSS dimming controls
- Event lighting options available through 17 different settings
- Lights can now be turned on/off instantly without needing pre-warming
- Reduced operation costs from a reduction in the frequency of repairs required

Project:
The Changwon Gymnasium had been using 86 units of 2kW metal halide lights that were expensive to maintain and consumed high amounts of power during operation. Changwon had requested enhanced energy reduction by using high efficiency LED lighting while fulfilling International Basketball Federation (FIBA) lighting standards to enable broadcasting in Ultra High Definition (UHD). To meet these requests, it is recommended to install GigaTera SUFA 400W and 800W products. The project was proceeded with the goal of meeting appropriate luminance standards for basketball arenas and was completed in November 2015. After the installation of 47 units of SUFA 400W, energy savings levels of 84% were achieved. An additional core focus to add something new to the lighting environment and further satisfy customers was the enabling of event lighting via wired controls. The use of show-lighting options during events such as introductions of home players gives the venue the opportunity to create dramatic spectacles while maintaining comfortable viewing for its audiences and has earned favorable reviews for the GigaTera SUFA as a sports lighting solution that satisfies both athletes and spectators.

Interview with City of Changwon Project Manager:
´´From the initial stages of the project review, the project started with the goal of security lighting equipment that can meet the requirements for hosting international FIBA matches. I am glad that after installing the SUFA product we were able to complete the project while fully achieving all of the original goals. Also, when compared to other products that were reviewed, the event lighting feature greatly exceeded our expectations. We are very thankful to your partner for suggesting this lighting.´´