Vancouver Convention Centre | Exhibition Areas Lighting Upgrade

The Vancouver Convention Centre is a premier convention and event centre. An extensive lighting systems upgrade was implemented throughout exhibition halls and pre-function concourses, including replacing luminaires and upgrading lighting controls.

Exhibition halls area comprises of approximately 220,000 square foot space that can be subdivided into five smaller halls via movable walls. The lighting provided was 860-watt metal halide and compact fluorescent (CFL) high bays, and this lighting was replaced with 729 new, 279-watt LED high bays with dimming drivers.

Lighting control for exhibition halls was rudimentary, consisting of ‘On / Off’ switching for metal halide systems and limited dimming for CFL systems. Staff manually controlled the lighting by circuits, switching ‘On / Off’ or dimmed until the desired lighting was achieved. New exhibition hall controls provide dynamic dimming and pre-set scenes. Controls expanded to lighting on the upper two pre-function levels. Operation of controls is via host computer, local touchscreens or tablet. Exhibition hall lighting is pre-set to 40% power as ‘Normal Mode.’

Similar retrofits occurred in the pre-function areas. All lighting was replaced ‘one-for-one’; metal halide cylinders replaced by 44-watt LED cylinders with DALI drivers and floodlights replaced by 36.5-watt LED floodlights with drivers. Pre-function lighting control was limited to ‘On / Off’ switching of rows of lights; therefore, no dimming or zoning. These controls were also upgraded.
With lighting systems replacement, luminaire quantity reductions, and installation of lighting controls, estimated lighting energy consumption reduction was projected to be approximately 850,000 kWh and lighting demand by 200 kW.
Post-install results exceeded expectations and won numerous awards. Read the full story here.