CLIENT: Mesa Rim Climbing Gym

CHALLENGE: Create an inspiring, naturally lit space to support the community and lifestyle of climbing.

RESULTS: Daylighting incorporated throughout the climbing gym; minimal electric lighting needed during the day.

PRODUCT:
12 SkyVault M74 DS with Amplifiers, 25
SolaMaster 330 DS-O with Optiview Diffusers
and 5 Brighten Up 290 DS Daylighting Systems

SOLATUBE INSTALLER: Sun West Distributors

ARCHITECT: Joseph Holasek, NOAA Group

BACKGROUND: In January 2015, Mesa Rim Climbing Gym broke
ground on their newest Climbing and Fitness Center in San Diego,
California. Their goal was to create a destination indoor rock climbing
gym by remodeling an existing vacant building.

“Our plan was to create an inspiring environment. We want people to walk-in and have a wow factor. We want our climbers to look at the walls and get really excited to climb so that everything else just kind of fades away.”
- Ian McIntosh, President

CHALLENGE: The design team’s main goal was to bring the outdoors
inside to simulate wilderness climbing. “Bringing a lot of natural light and
creating open space and a clean aesthetic was really important in the
design of this new facility,” added Ian McIntosh, President at Mesa Rim
Climbing Gym.

“It’s all about the walls. The walls tower above you, attract you and they
pull you in, but to really get the best aspect ratio out of them, you want
the lighting to come in and hit the walls at different angles and give you
the depth perception that you would have when you look up in a natural
setting,” said Bob Kain, President and Partner at Mesa Rim Climbing
Gym. 

SOLUTION: The design team achieved their goal with
an integrated design approach using different types of
Solatube Daylighting Systems to daylight 60 feet from the
top of the walls to the occupied floor level.

“The Solatube Daylighting Systems gave us a tremendous amount of flexibility when laying out the locations of light,” said McIntosh.

“I loved how we were able to use multiple Solatube Daylighting Systems to throw the light differently all around the gym,” added Kain. “We were able to cast light down to the floor areas and light up the walls in other areas, exactly how we wanted it.”

RESULTS: With the natural lighting design, rock climbing holds and routes are easier to see and navigate than ever. The gym membership has reached near capacity, and they host many competitions and events at this facility. Mesa Rim Climbing Gym has achieved their goal. It is the hub for the climbing community in Southern California, igniting, supporting and inspiring lifelong climbers.