Lighting up a multipurpose stadium

The new 60,000-seat Perth Stadium, set to open in early 2018, will feature more than 15,000 controllable LED light fittings.

The lighting system is designed and supplied by lighting company Philips Lighting. The venue showcases the Philips ArenaExperience capability. The centrepiece is the Philips ArenaVision LED pitch lighting system comprising LED floodlights and a control panel. This system can be synchronised with external lighting consoles for other types of light shows and events.

The stadium facade and roof canopy will be lit by Philips’ Color Kinetics architectural LED lighting with connected LED light points that can be easily controlled. The roof canopy will act as a giant canvas on which spectacular light shows can be created with patterns and imagery via the connected light points. Philips Lighting also provided LED lighting for offices and hospitality areas inside the stadium.

The lighting system, managed through a control platform, offers the flexibility to create a multipurpose arena for fans to watch anything from their home football and cricket teams to world-famous rock concerts. Music and lighting can be merged together in advance by the lighting operator for seamless implementation, creating visually stunning pre-match light shows. In addition, the LED floodlights meet the requirements for HDTV broadcasting standards for sports lighting.

Chris Palandri, regional director for Multiplex, the stadium builder, said, “LED stadium lighting is an integral part of the plan to make Perth Stadium the premier multipurpose venue in not only Western Australia, but also the entire Southern Hemisphere. The lighting will be crucial to delivering an amazing fan experience whether it’s for Australian Rules Football, cricket, a rock concert or for a completely different type of event. The stadium will represent a beacon for the entire community.”

David Gardner, general manager, Philips Lighting ANZ, said, “On completion, this project will be Philips Lighting’s largest complete LED stadium implementation in the world, and the largest LED multipurpose stadium lighting implementation of its type in the world. The scale of the project really demonstrates how seriously Australians take their sport and events. We at Philips Lighting are proud to install this world-class LED stadium lighting system together with Multiplex, the stadium builder, for the enjoyment of fans.”

The stadium will be used for, amongst others, Australian Rules Football, cricket, rugby union and rugby league, soccer and entertainment events. It is scheduled to open in time for the start of the 2018 Australian Rules Football season. The facility will be serviced by a train and bus station, as well as a pedestrian bridge connection across the Swan River to the city centre.