Philips was also asked by the Eden Park Trust to present a high-impact way of illuminating the new south stand to enhance the stadium’s atmosphere and ambience. This was achieved using color-changing LED lighting.
Flood lighting
The task of providing flood lights for the field of play presented a number of challenges. The requirement was for an energy-efficient lighting solution that met international high-definition television (HDTV) broadcasting standards.
Also, it was necessary to mount the flood lights on the stadium roof (see photo) rather than using traditional towers. Local resident concerns about light spillage and glare also had to be considered.
Philips provided a total of 482 ArenaVision MVF404 floodlights, which were installed along the edge of the redeveloped stands. ArenaVision is specifically designed for outdoor sports stadiums and offers increased light output and optical efficiency, according to Philips. The MVF404 flood lights consume 2 kW and utilize metal-halide lamps.
“Ensuring minimal light spillage and glare was imperative given the close proximity of the stadium to residential properties,” said Philips Lighting project manager Allan Stephenson. “Using ArenaVision MVF404 flood lights allowed us to provide a high-quality uniform lighting system that could be contained within the stadium.”
ArenaVision MVF404 flood lights use about 10% less energy than conventional stadium lighting systems and require less maintenance, offering a significant reduction in overall running costs, according to Philips.
Controlling the lighting is simple, as the Dynalite lighting control system gives computer-based individual control over all the sports lighting in the stadium. At Eden Park, this makes it easy for the Trust to switch between lighting for individual sporting codes.
LEDs in the south stand
The main requirement for lighting the new south stand was to showcase the architecture of the stand without overpowering its unique design.
The LED approach is also highly energy-efficient: Each color LED only uses 280W at full output, whereas conventional non-LED lighting would have required 1000W flood lights.
The LED system offers virtually limitless options and allows Eden Park Trust to create spectacular color-changing light shows, themed to each specific event.
“Creating a solution for the south stand that was visually interesting was important to us,” says Tracy Morgan, general manager sales & marketing for Eden Park Trust. “It needed to have the wow factor and Philips delivered exactly what we were looking for. The solution provides a visual spectacle for people passing by or attending the games and adds to the atmosphere.”
The new lighting – both on the field of play and on the façade – adds to the ambience and experience of going to Eden Park.
Eden Park Trust’s Morgan said that Philips “brought a range of design and capability expertise which added enormous value to the end result. Philips was able to go beyond what we thought was possible while staying within budget.”
