Shrewsbury School Cricket Facility

Shrewsbury, United Kingdom

Winner of Independent School of the Year 2020, Shrewsbury School is a world-renowned day and boarding school. With a 470-year history, Shrewsbury counts Charles Darwin, Michael Heseltine, and Michael Palin amongst its former students.

Sport is a central part of the Shrewsbury curriculum, and the school prides itself on its high-end, cutting-edge facilities. In its own words, Shrewsbury “sets out to be one of the best cricket schools in the country.” To this end, the school opened a state-of-the-art indoor cricket training facility in 2006. Testimony to the effectiveness of this facility includes the school’s Girls 1st XI team topping the National Schools 100 Ball competition in 2021 and the Under-17 Boys team winning the U17 National Cup in both 2022 and 2023.

Applications Covered:

Education
Leisure

The Challenge

With the school looking to reduce energy usage and improve ease of maintenance, Thorlux Lighting was invited to modernise the lighting in the facility.

After a consultation and surveys encompassing dimensions, existing light levels, netting positions, and more, Thorlux submitted 3D designs to the school and the English Cricket Board (ECB). Shrewsbury School is working towards obtaining professional ECB-approved status for the indoor cricket training facility.

The Solution

With additional input from the ECB and its MEP consultant on expected illuminance levels, uniformity, glare, and luminaire orientations and positions, Thorlux selected SmartScan-equipped Visio high-bay luminaires for use throughout the hall; the final installation comprised eighty-eight 1.4 metre Visio luminaires with medium-area distribution optics. The luminaires were oriented parallel to the bowling lanes, achieving excellent uniformity across the space and a low Unified Glare Rating (UGR) at both the batter and the bowler’s positions.

The energy savings from the new installation have been considerable: the efficient luminaires and intelligent lighting management have reduced energy consumption by 87%, preventing nearly 22.5 tonnes of carbon emissions per year. With the substantial energy savings generated by the new system, the total return on investment (ROI) period for the project will be less than two and a half years.

Following the successful installation and commissioning, Shrewsbury School is looking to invite other cricket teams from across the country to train at the facility.

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