The venue is renowned for its state-of-the-art facilities and SSE were keen to upgrade the lighting to the same high standard. They also sought to lower costs, reduce energy usage (and subsequently emissions) and open-up the arena to potential new streams of revenue.
State-of-the-art lighting for an iconic arena
The SSE Arena, Wembley
We’re very happy with the install of the new lighting rig at the SSE Arena, Wembley. Not only are we saving on energy costs, but we can now also light the auditorium to a standard expected from major sporting events. We look forward to the new opportunities this system will open up to us.
Customer challenge
The auditorium was originally lit by 99 1500W halogen lamps, providing only 300 lux across the floor. Increasing the lux would improve the venue's versatility, but this was expected to require a new linear suspended system that would interfere with show lighting gantries. The solution also had to be incredibly secure in its fittings, due to the amount of sound vibration generated during shows.
The right lighting
The existing lamps were replaced with 60 new LED Philips OptiVision floodlights providing up to 1500 lux, necessary for certain sports requiring this illuminance. In normal operation, the lights produce between 300 to 500 lux and run at considerably less energy than the previous system.
Through consultation, it was determined that the new lighting could be retrofitted to the existing system – creating significant savings over originally requested linear suspended system. Signify and its partner Powercor provided the structural calculations to ensure the system was secure, and that every single bolt was torqued and marked to the highest degree of accuracy.
The new system also introduces a Dynalite control system Distribution Management System (DMS) so the house and show lighting can be controlled in tandem, providing the level of control and versatility required. Combined with brighter lux levels, the arena can now host an even greater range of events and sports.
