LED event and sports-ground lighting for the Allianz Arena in Munich
Photo: Philips Lighting
Munich has made architectural history with its stadiums on several occasions. On the one hand, with the groundbreaking engineering work of architects Behnisch & Partner and Frei Otto, which in 1972 led to the erection of the tent-roof structures in the city's Olympiapark and over parts of the Olympic Stadium, giving the city a unique landmark, and on the other, in 2005, when Herzog & de Meuron created another architectural icon in the form of the Allianz Arena football stadium. Although its luminosity has little impact on the city itself due to its geographical location, symbolically it is far-reaching.
LED facade lighting instead of fluorescent tubes and coloured glass
An essential component of the design is the facade, which is illuminated across its entire area. In 2014, the operators decided to carry out a "lighting refurbishment" of the charismatic envelope, which consists of rhombic air cushions with 0.2 mm-thick-walls made of ETFE, and had Philips Lighting convert the entire facade lighting system to LEDs by the summer of 2015. On the one hand, this resulted in a 60% energy saving compared to the previous fluorescent tubes, and on the other, in an exponential increase in the colour spectrum in which the stadium can radiate outwards.
LED penetrates into the established domain of halogen floodlights
Since the summer break of 2017, the conventional lighting sources in many more stadium areas have been replaced by far more efficient LED lighting technology. Sports ground lighting, i.e. floodlighting, is generally an established domain of conventional halogen metal halide spotlights. This is due, among other things, to the high illuminance levels required for the transmission of television images in ultra-HD quality, i.e. in extremely high resolution. With ArenaVision LED, Philips Lighting has developed a high-performance headlamp system that meets the requirements of television broadcasting as well as the specifications of national and international sports federations such as UEFA and the DFL (German Football League). This LED floodlight system now also illuminates the playing field in Munich's Allianz Arena. The system is also networked with other lighting, image and sound reproduction systems. Thanks to a new kind of event lighting, show-like elements such as the entry of the players or special lighting effects for major events can now be staged inside the stadium using multimedia technology.
Intelligent lighting technology for players and visitors
Other areas inside the prestigious sports facility also benefit from Philips' innovative LED lighting solutions, some of which have been developed in-house by the company. The long, dark corridors in the VIP area of the Allianz Arena are equipped with specially-developed ceiling luminaires that increase their light intensity as soon as a person approaches. In addition, the ArenaExperience LED lighting system used by Philips includes coordinated lighting solutions for the players' changing rooms and physio areas, the grandstands and visitor entrances, as well as for the parking garages, where the lights only switch themselves on when in use. As with the facade, parts of the restaurant areas can also make use of the spectrum of 16 million infinitely-adjustable colours if desired, to expand the architectural design scope of the sports venue long after it was completed.
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