Thorn brings new sparkle to the Boca Junior’s stadium
- Lamp efficacy
Lamp efficacy
Ensuring the lamp efficiently converts electricity into light (lm/W).
- Ballast classification
Ballast classification
Controlling the electricity supply to the lamp (Energy Efficiency Index).
- Luminaire distribution
Luminaire distribution
Controlling light emission using optics which bend and shape the light to the correct location.
- System efficacy
System efficacy
Combining optical and thermal control within the luminaire (luminaire lm/W).
- Presence/absence detection
Presence/absence detection
Presence: Lights automatically turn on/off with movement. Absence: Lights automatically turn off and must be manually switched on.
- Daylight detection
Daylight detection
Artificial lighting which responds to the natural light conditions.
- Constant illuminance
Constant illuminance
A function designed to produce correct light levels for the duration of the maintenance period.
- Task-scene setting
Task-scene setting
Allowing the user to set scenes and adapt the lighting to different tasks.
- Timed off
Timed off
Automatic cut-off can be installed to turn all lights off during unoccupied hours.
- Task lighting
Task lighting
Lighting task areas with the correct amount of light.
- Zoning of lighting
Zoning of lighting
Lighting is zoned according to area use.
- Maintenance schedule
Maintenance schedule
Maintenance must be performed in response to product age, performance and environment.
- Waste light
Waste light
Eliminating waste light which does not hit the intended target.
- Reflectance
Reflectance
Taking advantage of light which is reflected from the surface within the space.
- Visible smart metering
Visible smart metering
Results of actions can be quickly seen as increased or decreased energy use to encourage responsible energy consumption.
The challenge
In preparation for the 2020 Copa Libertadores and the Copa America, respectively equivalent to the UEFA Champions League and the Europe Cup, the renowned Argentinian football club Boca Juniors needed to replace the floodlight system of its home pitch, the Estadio Alberto J. Armando. Thorn was tasked with supplying the floodlights and control system as part of a project team that also included its parent company, the Zumtobel Group.
The new installation had to fulfil the lighting requirements of the South American Football Confederation CONMEBOL, including those for HDTV broadcasts and super slow-motion replays. Also, the club was interested in a solution that would enhance the overall experience of a visit to its legendary stadium “La Bombonera” (“The Chocolate Box”), as it is known to fans around the world. Given its unique shape, the lighting was quite the challenge, as Mariano R. Desirello, lighting specialist at MRD Soluciones SA and consultant for the Boca Juniors club, explains:
“As a Boca Juniors consultant, I can say that the lighting renovation at La Bombonera stadium was a great challenge, especially because of its asymmetric architecture.”
The lighting solution
Altis 3-brick floodlights from Thorn were selected to fulfil the CONMEBOL lighting requirements, which specify an LED lighting solution with average horizontal illuminance > 2000 lux and vertical > 1300 lux. The 248 installed units easily achieve the needed lighting levels. Featuring an intelligent design with tiltable modules, the powerful 5700K LED luminaires provide high-quality light in a variety of optical configurations. Their colour rendering (CRI > 80) and flicker-free operation is well-suited for HDTV broadcasting.
248 remotely installed LED gearboxes were used to fully integrate the floodlights with an RDM-based DMX lighting control system, enabling flexible control of the entire lighting installation with a simple tablet. In addition to supporting numerous static and dynamic lighting effects in real time, the system can also be customised and pre-programmed for various lighting scenarios and events.
The result
La Bombonera once again beams with a brightness worthy of its stature among football fans. The new installation more than fulfils the lighting standards required by CONMEBOL – and very efficiently so, delivering double the pitch lighting output of the previous solution with 30% less energy. What’s more, it provides the club with a tremendous amount of lighting flexibility to dramatically stage its home matches and other events. As Mariano R. Desirello underscores, the Altis floodlight proved an excellent choice for the task:
“Thanks to the Altis floodlight from Thorn, we were able to achieve our goal. As you can see here, it was the right solution.”
For Thorn, La Bombonera was the latest in a series of football stadiums for which it has provided lighting solutions. Other notable venues include the Signal Iduna Park of BVB Borussia Dortmund and the Opel Arena of FSV Mainz 05, both in Germany. Oscar Gálvez, Zumtobel Group Regional Manager for South America, summed the La Bombonera project up this way:
“Working with the Boca Juniors football club on such a symbolic project for Latin America was a great experience. Together with the Thorn Lighting team and our partner Darko, we implemented the technologies needed to meet the current lighting requirements for professional football.”