STADIAWORLD | SPORTS VENUES 2018/19

80    |   SPORTS VENUES 2018/19 www.stadiaworld.com TECH REPORT In the USA, Daktronics is the leading provider of sports facility LED display installation services, and the US com- pany continually earns itself a place in the ranking lists every year with a whole series of projects. The systems are often first put into operation at the start of the season in September, which is also when the NFL starts. In 2017 Daktron- ics equipped nine sports facilities with a total of 74 LED screens, representing a total area of 129,000m². In 2018 two large arenas were also added to the ref- erence list: the Fifth Third Arena on the campus of the University of Cincinnati in Ohio was given a technology upgrade with 36 new LED displays from Daktron- ics. The centrepiece is the nine-display centre-hung configuration, which boasts 3.9 million LEDs for a huge digital screen above the playing area measuring almost 186 m². The upgrades will incorporate over 7 million LEDs and 530 m² of dis- plays into the arena. At Elon University in North Carolina, two LED video displays from Daktronics, each measuring 81 m², were mounted in the new Schar Center. The displays are the largest arena end-wall displays in Carolina. As a feature that has become more and more important, these video displays are capable of variable content zoning, allowing them to show one large image or be divided into multiple zones to show any combination of live video, instant replays, game statistics and information, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. Largest project in London But when the London Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur opens its new White Hart Lane in London in September, whose design also includes the option of an American football configuration, the US company will also be represented in Eu- rope with a prestigious project. Two large display boards measuring over 1,000m², two facade displays and three LED ribbon displays are to be installed. The two dis- play boards on the “home end” southern stand will each measure 325m², and each of the display boards on the northern stand 190.7m². Two additional displays in the southwest and southeast sectors will each measure 178.9 m². The installation of three revolving LED ribbon displays is a first in the UK. The ribbon displays at the middle and upper levels run from the eastern to the western stand. The LED ribbon display at the upper level is 387 metres long, while the middle level display measures 348 metres. At the lower level, the ribbon display runs in two separate sections. A 122-metre rib- bon display is to be installed along the east- ern stand, and a 105-metre display along the western stand. Upper level ribbon displays, also known as fascia boards, have been commonplace in large indoor arenas for a long time now – because their effect is achieved with fewer linear metres than in stadiums, and the marketing and payback calcula- tion advantages are greater, due to the variety of events in arenas. The LANX- ESS Arena in Cologne has now launched a project in which the rotating displays at the upper level are to be upgraded to LED modules. In this, Germany’s larg- est arena, the display will be 315 metres long. The centrepiece of this ambitious update project is a new video cube, which is to replace the existing 4-sided model installed in 2007, which weighs 20 tons, its sides measuring 27 m². Video displays: Installations 2017 – 2018 (selection) Type Country City Venue Main tenant Display Supplier Size (m²) A GER Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena ALBA Berlin/Eisbären 1 video cube Gahrens + Battermann 102 S GER Berlin Olympiastadion Berlin Hertha BSC 2 video boards Expromo 301 S GER Munich Allianz Arena FC Bayern München 4 video boards LEDCON 480 RC GER Nürburg Nürburgring n.a. 1 video display HG Videowall 77.4 S GBR Glasgow Hampden Park Scottish FA 2 video boards Daktronics 217 S GBR London New White Hart Lane Tottenham Hoptspur 2 video boards Daktronics 1,031 SR RUS St.Petersburg Zenit Arena FC Zenit 2 Video boards Colosseo 626 S SUI St. Gallen Kybunpark FC St.Gallen 4 video boards Colosseo 214 S USA Austin Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Texas Longhorns Video board Mitsubishi/ANC 702 SR USA Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta Falcons Halo Board Daktronics 7,757 S USA Baltimore M&T Bank Stadium Baltimore Ravens 2 video boards Daktronics 1,338 A USA Detroit Little Caesars Arena Red Wings/Pistons Video cube Daktronics 474 S USA South Bend Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame Fighting Irish Video board ANC 489 A USA Cinciannati Fifth Third Arena University of Cincinatti Video cube Daktronics 186 A USA Elon Schar Center Elon University 2 video boards Daktronics 162 Monument protection: Not much difference at first sight in Berlin between 2004 (left) and 2018 (right). Type of SportsVenue:A = MultifunctionalArena,RC = Race Circuit,S = Stadium,SR = Stadium with retractable roof. Source: STADIAWORLD   Status: July 2018  Pictures: STADIAWORLD/Olympiastadion Berlin