The Ricoh Arena is a well-known stadium that hosts major sporting events and music festivals. It is a typical example of a stadium with a wide range of lighting equipment to serve an equally wide range of functions and requirements, all operating in coordination under the “TridonicAtco” control panel.
Football and much more!
The Ricoh Arena is not simply the home of Coventry City Football Club. It has hosted major concerts, including those of Bon Jovi, U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Since it opened in August 2005, its facilities have attracted more than one million visitors. Designed by The Miller Partnership of Glasgow, it offers not only first-class sports facilities but also the Jaguar Exhibition Halls, which cover an area of 6,000 m2, a 3,000 m2 conference and banqueting centre, a bistro for 100 people, the Arena fitness club, a 69-bed hotel and parking for 2,000 cars. The stadium, which has already won recognition for its architecture, is a very good example of an environmentally friendly, application-specific lighting system, bearing the signature and expertise of Thorn Lighting.
The lighting here not only ensures an impressive view of the stadium from end to end, but also creates a unique atmosphere of enjoyment, which in this case is an extremely important factor. This is, after all, why the Ricoh Arena, with a capacity of 32,000, is one of the most attractive stadiums in the United Kingdom. 120 “Mundial” floodlights, each paired with a 2 kW metal halide lamp and OGLI 2000 W 180 magnetic ballasts from TridonicAtco, have been installed along the oval, bowl-shaped roof, which means no additional shielding is needed. The system, which complies with the requirements of the EFA, delivers an average horizontal illuminance of 1,200 lux and an excellent uniformity of 0.8, without creating any shadowed areas. The precise aiming of the floodlights and the unique design of the reflectors keep light loss to a minimum, making the lighting system ideal for sporting events and concerts.
Making the light work
For the safety of spectators, a further 1,000 waterproof emergency luminaires have been installed. They are protected to IP65 and combined with T8 fluorescent lamps, as well as emergency panels and PC PRO T8 control systems from TridonicAtco. These luminaires are installed mainly on the outside of the underside of the stadium roof, as well as in the hall, on the stairs and along the emergency exits.
In addition, energy-saving indoor light sources have been carefully placed so that corridors and high-traffic areas are lit at all times. Downlights with 26 W TC-D fluorescent lamps and an EC 18 LC502K control system provide the general lighting for the stadium’s needs. Combined with the direct and indirect light from wallwashers with 150 W metal halide lamps and OMBIS 150 PB 503W magnetic ballasts, they create particularly interesting lighting effects.
Also worth noting are the 100 metres of cold cathode tubes from Kemps Neon Ltd., which produce light with a colour temperature of 4000 K. These tubes have been installed on the two main staircases on the ground floor and in the lighting of the first floor. In this way, the lighting solutions achieved are not merely practical but also of outstanding aesthetic quality.
The approach taken in the hotel is also excellent, since the bedrooms can be converted into hospitality suites of a unique style for the events held at the stadium. The striking atmosphere is created by a combination of energy-saving downlight luminaires fitted with 2 26 W TC-D fluorescent lamps, EC 18 LC502K control gear and hundreds of low-voltage halogen downlights.
All of this complex lighting equipment is combined, and controlled efficiently and safely, by the TridonicAtco control panel.
Project details:
Owner: Coventry City Football Club
Architects: The Miller Partnership
Lighting: Thorn Lighting
Control panel: TridonicAtco
Source: TridonicAtco website
