Sports Interiors is proud to showcase the amazing transformation at Northwestern University’s Combe Tennis Center.

In December of 2019, we were awarded the project to replace the existing lighting and ceiling liner systems and replace it with our Indirect LED Lighting & Reflecting Ceiling Liner solutions.

Before the project started, our Operations team held meetings with Northwestern staff to answer questions, explain the installation process, and collect important structural data and measurements to ensure an efficient installation process. An initial challenge we faced was the tight deadline as this particular time of year there is a high demand for the tennis courts as the varsity teams are preparing for the spring season. It was vitally important our team completed the project on schedule.

Our team prepared a comprehensive project schedule that was provided to Northwestern staff so they knew exactly what was taking place and when. The first step was removing the existing liner system that was hanging from the ceiling. This process involved our crews stripping and cutting the material at each bay and removing it piece by piece. The original liner was not tied to the ceiling so an additional concern was the dust and debris that had collected on the top of the material over the 18 years since the building’s opening. Our teams took every measure necessary to ensure the tennis courts were protected by providing court coverage. Below are photos of the old liner system being removed.

In order to maximize our time on the tennis courts, our lighting crew coordinated their work with the liner team so that both installations could happen simultaneously and as a result reduce the project timeline. Our electrical team removed all of the existing light fixtures and safely recycled them before installing our indirect LED Lighting on all 6 of the indoor courts. Through continual updates and communication, as well as multiple job site walk-throughs and inspections, we were able to complete the project as desired and on schedule. See below for comments about the transformation from Northwestern staff.

Claire Pollard, Northwestern Women’s Head coach echoed here positive feelings on the difference our Lighting and Liner systems has made to the Combe Tennis Center.

In addition, Sports Interiors handled all of the legwork to secure the rebate money for Northwestern as the process can involve a lot of paperwork and time.

As we do for every project, our installation team collected light level readings before the project started on each of the 6 indoor courts. Average light levels were in the 30s. After our lighting and liner were installed, we again took light level readings which now averaged over 100 foot candles. Light levels increased by 223%.

If you would like to learn more about this project or find out how we can help deliver the best indoor tennis playing experience for your facility, contact us by clicking the button below. Check out our social media channels by clicking on the buttons below to see all of the projects we’re working on.