Showground Lighting Upgrade Works
Ryan Wilks has completed a major multi-staged lighting upgrade project at the Fairfield Showgrounds, one of many major upgrades being undertaken on the site by the Council to improve the community’s infrastructure and facilities.
The works involved the installation of color-changing tree lights to enhance the atmosphere and provide theme lighting for functions conducted on the site under the COLA and in and around the main playing fields. The lighting system has been designed to play selected lighting displays for pre-arranged shows with dedicated theme lighting for special functions such as Australia Day, Christmas, or House Party Themes. The lighting show is displayed under the COLA, but also up into and onto the trees so the trees change colour to enhance the experience
You may not realise it but you may have already seen the lights in action. These lights, and, in particular, the lighting shows were being displayed on the nightly news for many weeks during the early stages of the Covid pandemic as this site was one of the major testing sites and regularly featured on all channel’s nightly news.
The major portion of the works involved the installation initially of eight (80) bespoke bollard light fittings that were mounted along the main Smithfield Road boundary of the site, some 400m long section of roadway.
The light fittings are unique and have a one-off design and are constructed from 1000 mm long structural steel beam sections, powder-coated, and fitted with colour-changing lighting. The bollards started at the northern and southern ends of the footpath and back to the main front entry. The lights near the front entry progressively increased in height so that the main bollards at the front entrance to the Showgrounds stood 6 m tall and present an imposing spectacle.
A major part of this installation was the excavation and installation of the in-ground conduits and concealed wiring and the design and installation of substantial concealed concrete footings for the 6 m tall 350 kg bollard lights.
The bollard lights also have the ability to change colours and can be programmed by Council to play selected lighting displays similar to the tree lights.
Following the construction of the new main Grandstand on-site by the Council, we then installed additional Bollard lighting from the main entrance up and to the main Showground entry gates and the new Grandstand.
The new lighting is powered by a new stainless steel switchboard located at the front of the Showground with power and lighting controls being supplied from the rear of the showground some 600 m away. The existing site lighting control system was upgraded as part of these works including providing central push-button control and remote log-in control for all the new, and existing lighting.
Our new lighting is just one small aspect of the major infrastructure works undertaken by Council on site, but as far as we are concerned they are certainly the brightest section of the Showground, particularly at night!
We thank the Council for the opportunity of being involved in such a prominent infrastructure upgrade project.
