Campus Outdoor Lighting

Status

Project Phase:
Recently Completed

Completion:
November 2018

Details

Contractor:
St. Francis Electric

Project Location:
Campus Park (map)

Project Management:
UC Berkeley Capital Projects

Project Inquiries:
capitalstrategies@berkeley.edu
(510) 495-5786

The first phase of outdoor lighting improvements began with retrofitting the nearly 1,100 lampposts illuminating walkways around the campus. An early-adopter of LED lighting, the campus originally converted all lampposts over 10 years ago. As LED technology has greatly advanced, improving efficiency, color temperature, and reliability, a retrofit project began in early-2018 to upgrade the LED panels throughout the campus. Completed in June 2018, the upgraded lights better illuminate campus pathways with a color temperature that borders between a warm and cool light, so it’s pleasant and comfortable while appropriately lighting a dark area.

The second phase began in August 2018 with the installation of almost 100 new lampposts. Locations for the new poles were outlined in the Outdoor Lighting Master Planning Study with funding from the Student Life Safety Fee Committee. The study was conducted by a lighting engineer and a lighting designer, and various technical measurements were made at sites around campus. This data, in addition to nighttime walks with staff, police, students, and the Life Safety Committee to identify areas that could be better illuminated and to talk about how people felt about lighting levels in different contexts around campus, formed the basis for locating new poles. Installation of the new poles – matching the design and paint color of existing lampposts – concluded in November 2018.