Light Levels

Achieving adequate light levels within a stadium environment is crucial if grass growth and condition is to be sustained.  There are notable examples of where this has not occurred and where re-turfing up to three times per year is necessary.  It is not ‘light levels’ per se that are important but ‘the right kind of light which is termed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR).  PAR has a wave length of 400 to 700 nm and constitutes approximately half of the total solar radiation.  The minimum requirement for ‘normal growth’ of turf grass is often quoted as 30 % of full sunlight.  Sophisticated models are now available which can combine meteorological data with proposed stadia designs in order to predict whether sufficient levels of PAR will be achieved.  To-date, these models have generally been applied retrospectively to assess stadia projects that are already at an advanced stage however the opportunity to inform the design process at a much earlier stage now exists.


Figure 10 Complex models to predict the likely incidence of solar radiation within stadia constructions (reproduced by permission of the Centre for Research in the Built Environment at Cardiff University)

    Where the sustainability of stadia turf is compromised by insufficient PAR, routine re-turfing may need to be incorporated into the facility business plan.  As an alternative, recent developments in the use of artificial lighting rigs to sustain turf growth show great promise, but capital and running costs are high.  It is anticipated that this situation will improve through the adoption of LED technology.


Figure 11 The use of artificial light to sustain turf growth (courtesy of The Emirates Stadium, UK).