The First Direct Arena in Leeds was fitted with Philips ColorGraze colour-changing LED light bulbs.
The 12,500 seated arena hosts a wide range of over 140 events a year.
The main contractors BAM Construction used Building Information Modelling (BIM) to ensure the Stadium coincided with BREEAM Standards. The aim was to get a ‘Very Good’ rating of the Stadium by the BREEAM Standards. Therefore, performance and energy efficiency was very important.
The architecture of the building proved a challenge for lighting as luminaires had to be positioned in a certain way to avoid shadows from the shape of the building,
To really make The First Direct Arena eye-catching, it was installed with Philips ColorGraze luminaires. These were used to provide colour changing lighting using red, green and blue energy-efficient LED light bulbs with 9 degree beam angles to provide practically any choice of colour with a high level of saturation. Control is provided through a Pharos system which is accessed through an internet-based control interface for ease of access by the venue operators.
Another benefit of using ColorGraze was that it has Powercore technology, which removes the need for separate drivers of data cabling. The PowerCore system is also used by First Direct Arena for onsite addressing.
The combination of Pharos controls and the PowerCore system means that the arenas lighting can easily be controlled.
The company Rotary Yorkshire were responsible for the design and build of M&E services. Project Director of Rotary Yorkshire, Jason McDaid, said:
We considered colour-changing products from 4 lighting manufacturers but the Philips ColorGraze was the only one that met all of the criteria. The lighting really brings the building to life and everyone involved has been very impressed with the results. There were certainly some challenges along the way but when the going got touch Philips was always there in full support.