The City of Brotherly Love is shining a bit brighter these days thanks to the completion of a $400-million renovation project at the Wells Fargo Center that includes nearly 1,000 feet of new LED lighting surrounding the entire building. Programmable dynamic effects with uplighting from Acclaim Lighting ties together a sophisticated exterior lighting system creates a vibrant atmosphere around the facility.

The multi-purpose indoor arena is home to the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers, which brings the excitement of NHL hockey and NBA basketball to the city, affectionately known as Philly. The arena, with its official capacity of 20,318, also serves as a frequent venue for concerts and WWE events and has previously hosted major political conventions. In addition, NBC Sports Philadelphia's offices, studios, and production facilities are all located in the complex. Outside are an array of restaurants and retail shops, with more planned as part of the seven-year renovation project.

“These exterior upgrades feature the latest technology to bring new, exciting elements to Philly’s home for sports and entertainment,” said Phil Laws, the president of Wells Fargo Center. “After transforming nearly every inch of the arena, inside and out, this is another way to ensure we provide a first-class experience for our guests the moment they step into the sports complex.”

The lighting retrofit included a complete replacement of all the old LED lighting, which had experienced a number of failures over the years and was no longer shining as brightly. New are three oversized LED panels measuring nearly 35 feet in height to cover an area of more than 10,500 square feet. Complementing the LED boards is customizable strut lighting around all four corners of the building. This lighting is programmable to display the teams’ iconic orange and blue colors. There is also a one-minute video loop that can be seen even from far away.

Before passing through the arena doors, fans experience the massive new LED panels by the northeast and northwest corners of the arena and along the south façade. The boards are designed by ANC, a leader and innovator in the digital signage and visual display industry. Tying the exterior lighting together is a new LED system that lights the roof line of the arena, which locals refer to as “the Brow.”

“The lighting project is part of a larger exterior reimagining of the Wells Fargo Center,” said Jonathan Hoyle, principal of The Lighting Practice in the Philadelphia office. “The uplighting is one facet that included video screens and direct-view lines of light. The goal of the uplighting is to accent the core of the building and the Brow in a way that was more pronounced, even, and with a finer degree of control.”

A priority requirement for the new LED lighting system was to deliver even illumination of the Brow, while allowing for programmable, dynamic effects. The owner also wanted to provide lighting scenes triggered by actions on the court and ice during the games. And, of course, the system chosen had to be able to withstand the extremes of Philadelphia weather.

A Linear Solution

After a thorough investigation by senior lighting designer Chris Hallenbeck from The Lighting Practice, the team recommended Linear One DMX Exterior from Acclaim Lighting, based in Los Angeles. Available in 1’ and 4’ lengths, the LED fixtures are easily interconnected in a series to simplify installation. The LED fixture is available in various configuration combinations, including multiple emitter types, a full range of TIR optics, and glare shields and louvers. Control is achieved using the industry standard DMX protocol for dynamic lighting and RDM for remote fixture configuration. Each unit's internal auto-sensing power supply can accept main inputs between 100 to 277VAC at 50 or 60Hz.

Hallenbeck explained, “We specified Linear One DMX based on its ability to be programmable by each foot to produce intricate lighting schemes around the building. We liked the idea that the fixture could deliver up to 760 lumens per foot with multiple beam spreads to accommodate varying mounting heights.”

Linear One DMX is available in 10º x 10º, 10º x 25º, 10º x 40º, 10º x 60º, 30º x 30º, 30º x 60º, 40º x 10º, 45º x 75º, 60º x 10º, 60º x 30º, 60º x 60º, 90º x 10º, 100º x 100º, asymmetric wall wash; and left or right as viewed from the input end (60º x 60º + 20º tilt) for precise illumination.  The LED fixtures even include 90º swivel mounting brackets, while flat mounting brackets are optional for easy installation.

The different mounting accessories and extender arm options simplified installation across numerous roof conditions. This range of options aided in providing an even appearance of light even when the physical conditions were not even.

Just as important as all of its programmable capabilities, the Linear One DMX had to perform in Philly’s ever-changing environment. The fixture is IP66-rated for wet locations and performs in extreme temperatures from -40º F to 131º F (-40º C to 55º C).

Of course, as is the case with most projects, budget and delivery times were also a concern. Acclaim’s modular systems platform was ready to solve this challenge.

“Linear One DMX was within the project budget and available when the construction team needed the products,” said Hallenbeck.

The Linear One DMX fixtures mount end-to-end around the perimeter of the building, nominally 18 inches off the face of the core. Beam spreads vary depending on throw distance to illuminate the width of the brow. Paint colors also vary to correspond with the specified beam spread to assist in visual recognition of the beam pattern. These strategies helped provide an even illumination and a cohesive appearance that blends with the strut lighting.

Hoyle said, “The lighting makes the Wells Fargo Center look like a new facility, creating an amazing first impression to let fans know they are in store for a very enjoyable evening watching their favorite teams play.”

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Lighting Project Participants

Lighting Designer – The Lighting Practice: Jonathan Hoyle, Principal; Chris Hallenbeck, Senior Lighting Designer

Customer – Comcast Spectacor

Architect – SCI Architects, Jeff Armstrong, Helga Wiens

Illuminations – Rachel Bauer and George Lyngarkos 

Integrator- Mark Fink Barbizon

Distributor – Lex Electric: Bill Lex

Electrical Supplier – Yale Electric: James Price

Jones Sign Company- Wisconsin

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