Ice Sheffield's two Olympic-sized rinks will host world-class sporting events, ice shows and ice sports, as well as family fun and corporate entertainments. Stagetec's MD Andy Stone and Matt Miles managed the project for the two rinks, which both called for completely different lighting set-ups.
The Leisure Arena is utilized for everyday public use and for private bookings and corporate events. Lighting here follows more of a club theme, so to add colour and movement, 8 Martin Pro 918 scanners and 6 Martin Pro 400 colour wash fixtures were specified. These can be run on their own, or boosted with 48 PAR cans that supply a blast of incandescence. The lighting desk is a Compulite Rave, with 60 channels of Anytronics dimming, Anytronics switch packs and Compulite DMX splitters. A RIM 800 Fire Alarm interface was installed in the Dimmer room to isolate the power supply to the lighting in case of fire.
The Performance Arena is geared to professional events and competitions, complete with a 1500-seat audience capacity. Lighting in this area is more functional and aimed at illuminating action on the ice. Six Pro 918s and 96 PARs were used, together with another Compulite Rave, which can be located in different positions around the arena. The lighting is programmed for a basic 3-colour wash.
As part of the commissioning process, Miles undertook on-site training with three Ice Sheffield staff, familiarizing them with the desk and the lighting system's operational procedures. Stagetec also supplied 35 lengths of Prolyte X30V trussing for the arenas and Andolite pre-wired lighting bars for the PARs. The installation went smoothly in a tight six week period, during which Stagetec's six-person crew worked closely with two giant scissor-lifts to access the 40ft high roof beams.
(Ruth Rossington)
