A new 300,000 LED façade has been installed at the Allianz Arena, home of soccer powerhouse Bayern Munich. The façade is wrapped around the entire outside of the 71,137-capacity stadium, covering an area of of 26,000 sq m (280,000 sq ft), and will be used to create dynamic and colorful light displays.
Philips, which has created the system, says it can be controlled digitally and is capable of reproducing 16 million colors. New all-round lighting effects in the façade roof above the stands have also been installed.
The façade will feature lighting concepts developed by architects Herzog & de Meuron. During evenings when there are no matches being played, these will be in the colors of Bayern Munich and are described as being "elegant and subtle color-changing effects in the form of waves and clouds." For special events, different lighting colors, patterns and movements can be programmed using the cloud-based Philips ActiveSite platform.
The subtle movement and color changes created are said to be only made possible due to the large number of LEDs employed. The color and intensity of the lights can be adjusted continuously and they have a refresh rate of up to 40 images per second.
Philips reports that the new façade uses 60 percent less electricity than the previous system, which was based on fluorescent lamps, and will save an estimated 362 tons of CO2 per year. Maintenance and operating costs are also expected to be lower.
The new façade will begin proper operation tonight (Aug. 14) to coincide with Bayern Munich's first match of the new domestic soccer season in Germany.
Source: Philips