Chelsea Piers Sky Rink Lighting Upgrades – Ice Rink & Surrounding Areas
Sports Lighting | New York, NY
Chelsea Piers Sky Rink is Manhattan's only twin covered ice rink facility, serving 25,000+ visitors each year. Operating 20 hours a day, 360 days a year, the facility hosts youth and adult skating programs, as well as various hockey teams and organizations –including visiting NHL teams that have utilized Chelsea Piers as an alternate practice facility while in New York to play local teams.
After years of lighting systems that were failing and struggled under the rink's demanding humid environment, Chelsea Piers partnered with Pearl Street Systems to deliver a more reliable LED solution engineered for the space.
Project AT A GLANCE
Location: New York, NY
Facility: Sky Rink & Surrounding Areas
Annual Reach: 25,000+ Rink Visitors
Completed: 2025
Scope: Light Fixture Upgrade of Ice Rink & Surrounding Areas
Fixture Type: 34,000-Lumen Highbay Light Fixtures
The Challenge
The Sky Rink's lighting had already gone through multiple generations. The original HID (metal halide) system failed over time and left persistent dark spots across the ice. A previous LED upgrade temporarily improved brightness, but the fixtures were not designed to withstand the rink's moisture-heavy environment; humidity gradually knocked out individual LED lines until entire fixtures failed. In a fast-moving sport where players must track the puck and see contact developing, inconsistent lighting was more than a maintenance issue. With the rinks illuminated roughly 20 hours per day, Chelsea Piers needed a system that could deliver uniform visibility and reliably survive this environment year after year.
The SOLUTION
- Pearl Street performed photometric studies of the rinks and vetted fixtures from reputable manufacturers, ultimately selecting a solution backed by a strong manufacturer warranty to support long-term reliability. New linear fixtures throughout the locker rooms and other perimeter areas required engineering a design
- New high bay LED fixtures engineered to resist water and humidity directly addressed the failure mode of the previous lighting system.
- Strong, even light distribution across the ice eliminated the shadowed corners and dark spots players and coaches had been navigating through.
- Pearl Street's recommendations extended beyond the playing surfaces into public areas, lobbies, and walkways, helping Chelsea Piers identify additional opportunities to improve lighting performance throughout the facility.
Execution
With rink programs running from 5am through 1am nearly every day of the year, taking the ice out of service meant lost revenue. Pearl Street coordinated closely with Chelsea Piers' electrical shop to target specific nights when sessions ended early, beginning work around 11:30 p.m. and completing fixture change-outs overnight so the rinks were ready for the next day's programming. Early shipping delays on several lighting components were addressed directly, allowing the installation to remain on track.
The Results
- No fixture failures since the upgrade.
- A brighter, more uniform playing surface with dark spots and shadowed corners eliminated.
- Chelsea Piers' electrical staff are freed up from recurring lighting troubleshooting and repairs.
- Players, coaches, and officials noticed the improved visibility immediately after the switch.
The Benefits
- Safer playing conditions and improved puck visibility in a fast-moving contact-sport environment.
- Lower long-term maintenance costs compared with repeatedly replacing failed fixtures.
- Reliable performance from lighting designed for the rink's demanding moisture-heavy environment.
- A better playing experience for the facility's broad customer base, area schools, hockey programs, and visiting professional teams.
“Those shadows were blind spots — it's absolutely a safety hazard. It has provided a better playing experience for everyone. If I had to rate this project, it would be a 10.”