Several stadiums built or overhauled for the 2012 European Championship football (soccer) tournament feature impressive lighting schemes from the likes of Traxon, Philips and Osram.

The tournament is jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine, and features national teams from 14 other nations in addition to the two hosts.

Philips has installed pitch and façade lighting in six of the eight stadiums that are hosting the games, including the Olympic stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, which will host the final on July 1. Likewise, Osram has also supplied lighting for several stadiums.

Philips is also known to have supplied much of the lighting for the London 2012 Olympic Games, but is not allowed to publicize this work because its rival, GE, is an Olympic sponsor.

The most significant LED-based projects involve color-changing lighting for the outside facades of several stadiums. Lighting for the pitches and most other areas inside the stadiums is generally provided by other lighting technologies.

National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland

National Stadium, Warsaw

The façade of the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, is characterized by its semi-transparent white and red structural mesh panels: red and white are Poland’s national colors. The panels are lit by LED fixtures and a control system from Traxon, an Osram subsidiary.

The façade’s panels conceal, in specially designed housings, more than 1700 custom Traxon Liner Shield AC XB-36 red/white fixtures that illuminate the stadium’s exterior. These are outdoor-rated fixtures containing a linear array of LEDs, and have a simple connection system and long run-length capability of up to 32 fixtures, enabling easy installation for large-scale lighting projects.

For this project, the fixtures were customized and aimed precisely during installation to allow uniform illumination of the individual façade panels. Additionally, the fixtures consist only of red and neutral white LEDs, which enhance the rich saturation of the already red and white panels.

The National Stadium’s façade is controlled by e:cue Lighting Control Engines (LCEs) and Butlers, which interface with the stadium’s building management system. The intelligent control system transforms the static façade into a dynamic palette of sequenced shows.

An additional 72 Wall Washer AC XB-36 Cold White multi-LED fixtures were installed atop 72 columns surrounding the venue. These dim on and off as if there are sparkling stars floating above the stadium.

Poznan City stadium, Poland

The stadium in Poznan is notable for its dynamic, multi-colored lighting of the outer facade, using LED lighting systems from Philips. A total of 195 Philips LED projectors, each consuming 55W, plus a control system and software, were used to illuminate the lower sections of the outer façade. A huge variety of effects can be achieved.

LED illumination was mounted on the platforms along the façade to protect from falling snow,” said the architect, Wojciech Ryzynski. “The shape of the walls creates a really great shadow effect. The luminaires are installed from 6 to 9 meters from the façade. There are 5 of them in each 9-meter section.”

Olympic Stadium, Kiev

Olympic Stadium, Kiev

Philips has tailor-made lighting systems for the Olympic stadium in Kiev, capable of hosting 60,000 spectators. The system includes a total of 608 Philips ArenaVision sport floodlights – these are 2 kW floodlights that use quartz metal-halide lamps. Philips designed the lighting concept combining functional and decorative requirements to create the effect of a “ring of fire” on the stadium’s roof edge.

Philips’ lighting systems also illuminate the football field and other areas in accordance with various standards for TV broadcasting of football matches and athletic competitions.

Kiev stadium exterior

LED lighting was also used in bar area of the stadium. More than 3,000 four-color LED modules, containing a total of 12,000 Golden Dragon Plus LEDs, were used for the 14 different installations. The individually controllable LEDs in red, green, blue and cold white can generate any color combination.