Type of works: Abacus Lighting was the chosen sports lighting provider and were responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the new sports lighting system.

Part of the re-development of the home ground of Northampton Saints RFC includes the newly developed West Stand which will boost capacity at Franklin's Gardens from 11,700 to 12,500, making it one of the best purpose-built rugby stadiums in the country.

In addition to redevelopment of the stands, the plans also included a new sports lighting system to Class 1 Rugby Standards (500 Lux), providing suitable lighting levels for televised matches.

The stadium development was led by Barr Construction who appointed Abacus Lighting as the chosen sports lighting provider. Abacus were responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the new sports lighting system.
The sports lighting system included a 30m corner mast design with additional side lighting off the main stands.

The corner mast system incorporated the Base Hinged Raising and Lowering Mast and the Challenger 3 floodlight. Challenger 3 features a symmetric reflector system ideally suited for corner mast sports lighting installations. Compactly designed and also incorporating an anti-glare baffle, it provides precision optical control and offers significant cost savings for both the supply and installation of Floodlights. To assist commissioning, gun sight fixings are incorporated into Challenger 3, ensuring that the gun sight is easily fixed on site for precision aiming of the floodlights.

For added practicality, Abacus’ raising and lowering mast system was specified. Via a simple counterbalance unit, the mast can be quickly lowered to ground level, allowing routine maintenance and lamp replacement to be carried out easily in complete safety. This hydraulic lowering system has no awkward, unsightly foot brackets, no ladders, no winch system, no wire ropes, no pulleys and no mast head moving parts, ensuring minimal maintenance.

The side lighting system utilised the Challenger 1 floodlight. Featuring a double asymmetric distribution and a Flat Glass profile, Challenger 1 is purposefully designed for side lighting particularly where control of light pollution and high performance are an essential requirement.

The Challenger range is constructed from high-pressure die-cast aluminium and is finished in a hard wearing durable grey powder polyester coating that blends with the daytime sky. The floodlight utilises double-ended lamps of either 1,000 or 2,000W, offering optimum optical control and add greater stability, leading to less vibration and less damage in high winds.