Traditionally, arena house lighting has been harsh, using unpleasant sodium or fluorescent fixtures, which do little to reflect the stunning lighting often found on stage. But with 80 ETC Selador Desire Lustr+ LED fixtures above the main arena, and 370 ETC Selador Classic Vivid-R LED fixtures in the surrounding corridors and foyer areas, the Ziggo Dome is very different.
Named after Dutch communications company Ziggo, the 17,000 seat venue in Amsterdam hosts a range of different types of events, from Peter Pan, Rihanna and Mumford & Sons, to the music from the BBC's nature documentary Frozen Planet, the MTV European Music Awards and Top Gear Live.
Ziggo Dome's facilities manager Ruud Bongers says, "We were keen to include a lighting scheme which extended from simply on stage to the whole arena, making the house lights part of the show lights. At the touch of a button, we can make the house lighting change colour, brighten or dim; and it can all be done from one of nine touch panels located around the building.
"One of the major issues when planning such dynamic house lighting as this was ensuring that not only does the venue look good, but that it remains practical: guests need to be able to see their way to the seats and read their tickets, while maintaining a comfortable level of light. We did a lot of testing," says Bongers, "to make sure that everything looked right and that the LEDs maintained a pleasant skin tone. Selador has some beautiful colour choices."
ETC's x7 Color System was designed for use in theatre and broadcast productions, where accurate skin tone is vital.
The system is controlled by ETC Unison Mosaic, with the Tessera touch panels located around the building so that authorised staff can adjust the lighting in their area.
ETC's Dutch dealer Lightco was responsible for the installation. Project manager Bas van Schelven says, "We spent a long time with Ziggo Dome's technical managers to ensure they got the right product, including setting up range of products in the venue for a shootout. The managers needed something with the right amount of vibrancy, and which would cover the area they needed: each one needed to cover a 6m x 6m square."
Liesveld concludes, "Despite the size of the arena, the house lighting makes it feel truly intimate. We have the presets of the Mosaic system, or the lighting control desk operator can interact with the system - their skills are the limit."
(Jim Evans)
