Lighting Retrofit Honors Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor at The Star District

With 35 restaurants, shops, and adjacent parking garages on two-levels, The Star District is a Dallas Cowboys-themed retail complex. The district is located on the campus that houses the NFL team’s headquarters in Frisco, Texas. It is comprised of two buildings that flank the main drive leading to the Ford Center, an indoor athletics venue.

O'Brien Architects Dallas developed the overall master plan for The Star District and specifically designed the entertainment district and parking garages, and they brought in Henderson Engineers to work on the lighting scheme.

“We took cues from the District’s layout and building design to create an upscale modern lighting experience,” says Kim Ilhardt, senior architectural lighting designer at Henderson Engineers.

The plaza in front of the District was a unique challenge. The street opens up at this juncture into what is known as the "Ring of Honor." The Dallas Cowboys Football Club pays tribute to its outstanding former members in this architectural feature, so effective lighting was important. Large sweeping roof canopies reach out over the Ring of Honor, adjacent sidewalk and street, creating a shelter above the plaza area. The architects challenged the lighting team to source overhead fixtures that appeared "unseen and quiet."

The distinct architectural lines of the canopies inspired Ilhardt to ultimately choose A-Light’s Accolade D3 linear lighting. She says that since the fixtures were about the width of the canopy’s articulated reveal, multiple fixtures could fit within the canopy, appearing as a continuous line.

Each of the structural lines in the canopies is unique with respect to the length and angle at the forward position as it tilts upward over the plaza, so the manufacturer’s team customized the luminaires to meet the lengths and angles required while maintaining the continuity of the linear illumination. Field coordination was also necessary to ensure that everything fit perfectly.

Visitors naturally congregate at the Ring of Honor after walking out from the perimeter parking garages. Ilhardt therefore sought an ambient light source to deliver widespread general illumination from the high canopies. The chosen fixtures push light down to the sidewalks and retail areas below, while also serving as a security feature, highlighting pedestrians crossing the main thoroughfare.

Additional fixtures were added to the building’s breezeways. In this case, the linear fixtures are ceiling-mounted in a custom pattern over each escalator, providing a wayfinding element. The breezeways are designed to be partially covered and exposed to limited daylight, although certain light levels are required throughout the day and evening to provide safety for retail visitors. The luminaires are integrated with daylight sensors, so lighting can be increased, dimmed, or turned off as necessary.