Musco Lighting - Iconic Wimbledon Centre Court Shines Under Musco Lights

Iconic Wimbledon Centre Court Shines Under Musco Lights

Wimbledon Centre Court · Wimbledon, London, England

“The light was excellent . . . we were on the Centre Court a couple of weeks ago at 9 p.m. testing the lights then — how they shone in different areas and so on. The light was fantastic. Even at those times, it will not be an issue,” Tim Henman remarked.
Photo courtesy of All England Lawn Tennis Club

“The 87-year-old structure is ready to welcome a new era,” said the announcer on Sunday, May 17, about the new retractable roof in place at Wimbledon Centre Court at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

fixtures at Wimbledon Centre Court · Wimbledon, London, England

The lighting system employs both direct and indirect applications of Musco’s Green Generation Lighting® fixtures to supplement natural daylight during inclement weather.

“The folding fabric concertina,” as BBC TV presenter and former tennis champion Sue Barker described the roof, allowed for no interruption in play on what would have otherwise been an event-ending rainy day.

Henman suggested the roof might create an even better Centre Court atmosphere than before. “This is already the best and most famous court in the world, but I’m intrigued to see what level the atmosphere might go to,” said Henman. “Given the right scenarios with the right match and players, it could be really something.” All players agreed that the playing conditions were superb.

Husband-and-wife tennis greats Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf were in action along with former British number one Tim Henman and the recently un-retired Belgian Kim Clijsters to test playing conditions under the roof in front of a capacity crowd of 15,000.

Wimbledon Centre Court · Wimbledon, London, England

Henman and Clijsters came away victorious in the very close mixed doubles match. Agassi defeated Henman in the men’s singles. Clijsters won against Graf in the ladies’ singles. Win or lose, all players were honored to be a part of the historic first match under the roof.

Wimbledon Facts

The Centre Court boasts one of the world’s most technologically advanced retractable roof structures. The roof weighs in at 3,000 tons. Of that, the moving portion alone, made of GORE™ TENARA® Architectural Fabric, accounts for 1,000 tons. 56,000 sq feet of this fabric cover the roof. It takes eight to nine minutes for the roof to close and 20 to 30 minutes for the air management system to eliminate moisture and ready the court for play. If it starts to rain while the roof is open, the grass court will be covered with tarps until the roof is completely closed. Play resumes in 10 to 30 minutes, depending on climatic conditions. All of the lighting fixtures are mounted on the trusses that move when the roof is closed.

A capacity crowd of 15,000 attended the Centre Court Celebration, the May 17 event showcasing the first match held under the new roof at the historic location. The event was designed to test playing conditions under the closed roof, including the lighting and air management system. Tickets for the event sold out just five minutes after going on sale. The event, and more importantly the roof, was an all-around success.

It was imperative that natural light be able to penetrate the fabric roof and reach the natural grass playing surface.

Musco Lighting, M.E. Engineering, and Galliford Try worked closely to develop a floodlighting solution that met all design criteria and meshed seamlessly into the architecture. The system uses Musco's Green Generation Lighting® fixtures featuring Smart Lamp™ technology to provide Constant Light™ levels for the life of the system. An aiming logic employing both direct and indirect fixtures supplements natural daylight during inclement weather. All of the floodlighting fixtures are mounted on the trusses that move when the roof is closed.

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