FC Bayern Munich is kicking off the new season in spectacular style: Philips, the global leader in lighting, and the German soccer champions presented a new LED façade lighting at the Allianz Arena for the first time on Wednesday. The entire innovative Philips system can be controlled digitally and is capable of reproducing 16 million colors. This makes Allianz Arena, the 'Star of the South', Europe's largest and Germany's first stadium to feature a dynamic lighting moods across its entire facade. More than 300,000 LED lights – over an impressive surface area of 26,000 square meters − make the stadium façade’s inflatable outer membrane shine brilliantly. Compared to the previous system, the new technology saves more than 60 percent on electricity and approximately 362 tons of CO2 per year.
"The fans will experience the new lighting facilities live in the coming 2015/2016 season. In addition, in conjunction with Philips we will also be highlighting certain aspects of the action on the pitch inside the Allianz Arena too," explains Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, CEO of FC Bayern Munich. ‘’The all-round lighting effects in the C above the stands is a new feature and a taste of what's in store. This lighting will accompany the action on the pitch in a dynamic way, for example by creating a Mexican wave or goal celebration effects in red and white.’’
"The new lighting will serve to intensify the emotional experience in the Allianz Arena before, during and after the match. Fans and television viewers will experience unique lighting effects," says Philips Lighting Managing Director Roger Karner. "The system is fully digital, featuring intelligent controls, and it has been tailored specifically to the unique architecture of the Allianz Arena. We have drawn on Philips' knowhow from three continents to develop this unique system," says Karner.
Subtle color dynamics
On evenings when there are no matches taking place the plan is to create elegant and subtle color-changing effects in the form of waves and clouds as well as horizontal and vertical sequences, always in the FC Bayern Munich colors. The lighting concepts have been developed by world-renowned architects Herzog & de Meuron. They emphasize the unique nature of this luminous installation that will enhance the urban landscape. The movement and color changes are extremely delicate and subtle, and are only really noticeable if you stop and look a little longer. This kind of choreography is made possible by the large number of LEDs and the extensive control facilities: the color and intensity of the light can be adjusted continuously, and the image refresh rates of up to 40 images per second guarantee smooth and flowing motion sequences.
It is also possible to create lighting effects for special events, for example featuring iconic brands, different colors, nuances and dynamics. And from now on all it takes to start them is the touch of a fingertip. Complex supplementary installations are now a thing of the past. The spectrum of possible lighting effects ranges from illumination of the Arena in green to mark St. Patrick’s Day to multicolored visualizations, such as for the Audi Cup, to special concepts for international league tournaments. On days when there are home and away matches, the façade will shine with renewed brilliance in red or white.
"The new Philips lighting enables us to make a clear statement about the place that the German soccer champions call home, both for the local fans and for international competitions between stadiums and clubs," says Jürgen Muth, CEO Allianz Arena München Stadion GmbH.
60 percent electricity savings and an intelligent control platform
In terms of sustainability and efficiency, the new Philips system represents a technological revolution. The LEDs used save more than 60% on electricity and some 362 tons of CO2 compared with the previous technology based on fluorescent lamps. The maintenance and operating costs are also lower: the LEDs have an average lifetime of 80,000 operating hours and the system is extremely robust, even under extreme weather conditions with temperatures as low as -50 degrees Celsius. In addition, the cloud-based Philips ActiveSite platform enables optimum operation. This system from the global leaders in lighting delivers detailed reports in real time, facilitates maintenance and simplifies content management. In this respect too, the Allianz Arena is at the forefront of technology.
Tailor-made lighting system
In October 2014 the go-ahead was given for work to commence on site. Mountaineers climbed the façade to install over 6,500 compact ColorGraze luminaires – sometimes at vertiginous heights of up to 25 meters. In total more than 45 tons of material were used, including more than 7.5 kilometers of the linear high-tech luminaires, several hundred data enablers and over 5,000 meters of cable for the digital control. The entire installation involved not only electrical contractors and engineers but also lighting designers as well as hardware and software designers from Philips in the USA. The team developed special installation brackets and optics to enable the luminaires to be aligned individually so that the light from the LEDs would shine uniformly on the inflatable domed outer membrane, which varies slightly in shape.
