Led by WSP, the project involved a significant lighting upgrade to enhance sustainability and operational efficiency – including replacing the existing metal halide floodlights (MHL) with new LED systems to improve lighting quality. The flexible LED systems support multiple lighting effects and can play light shows - illuminating the action for the racecourses’ thousands of horseracing fans while natural lighting provides a more comfortable experience for jockeys. They also allow individual light control for different operational modes, such as dimming lights for maintenance instead of switching circuits off.
Our team was appointed as the project consultant, overseeing project management, lighting control design, electrical and mechanical services, site engineering, structural design, statutory submissions, and contractor management.
A key challenge? Many of the high masts, which have supported the floodlights for over 40 years, lacked complete or accurate structural records. Replacing them would have been costly, time-consuming, and disruptive.
So, our lighting experts created detailed models and sectional drawings to understand the existing masts and floodlights. Safety was a top priority, with ultrasonic and non-destructive tensile tests confirming the strength of the mast foundations and materials. Surveys established original wind load and weight limits; while also checking it was safe to reuse the existing electrical infrastructure. Computational fluid dynamics were used to evaluate the impact of wind on the masts.
Another challenge was the tight turnaround. The project needed to be delivered within Happy Valley Racecourse’s 52-day off-season when there were no races taking place. To meet the deadline, our team focused on prefabrication, with luminaires, crossarms and mounting structures pre-assembled off-site and delivered as complete units. As well as minimizing on-site work and eliminating the need for scaffolding, our approach meant it took just four hours to replace each floodlight – accelerating the overall project timeline for both racecourses from 80 days to 45 days.
The project was successfully completed with all high masts preserved and upgraded, and no mast replacements needed. The new lighting system has been welcomed by Hong Kong Jockey Club for its efficiency, safety, and quality – showing it’s possible to advance operational excellence while extending the life of legacy infrastructure.
