MVM Dome, Budapest, Hungary
Lighting designers at Be Light! worked with Pharos Architectural Controls to bring a dynamic light to the Michelangelo-inspired façade of Budapest’s new MVM Dome.
In Budapest, Hungary, the MVM Dome is a 50,000sqm, multifunctional arena with the capacity to accommodate 20,000 people. As well as a venue for a wide array of indoor sporting events, the hall can also host concerts, conferences, exhibitions and trade shows, making it an important part of Budapest’s entertainment offering.
The building’s façade is inspired by the anatomical drawings of Michelangelo; designed to conjure up images of skeletal muscles. This striking look is enhanced at night with the clever use of dynamically changing, specially created lighting.
Vibrant flowing lines of light swirl across the entire façade, dividing the surface of the building into a variety of planes, slices and shapes. These geometric fragments then serve as windows in certain positions, while the steel cladding, which is powder-coated in two shades of grey, plays a key role in the optical resolution of the building mass.
The lighting and control system was designed, supplied, and programmed by Be Light! Lighting fixtures have been hidden in the façade’s mantle to strengthen the architectural character of the arena.
Be Light! was brought into the project by architects Közti Zrt, along with interior design house MCXVI Építészműterem, and electrical engineers Hungaroproject Mérnökiroda. Be Light! chose solutions from Pharos Architectural Control to deliver dynamic control of the lighting scheme.
The lighting designers required a DMX protocol communication system for the RGBW fixtures, assigning 11,328 digital addresses to the façade alone so the luminaires could be controlled individually. They designed a distributed control solution using multiple Pharos Designer LPCs (Lighting Playback Controllers). The compact LPCs are positioned within the façade to provide local DMX to the fixtures, and networked together to still act as one seamless, cohesive control system. A total of 21 LPC 1 and 15 LPC 2 were required for the façade, and a further six networked LPC 1 were distributed inside the Dome to control the lighting in the arena and public areas.
Two Pharos Designer TPS (Touch Panel Screen) units were installed so staff could override scheduled programming and directly select both the decorative lighting and the sports lighting looks at the MVM Dome. The TPS offers a customisable touchscreen user interface that lets users create multiple pages of lighting controls for the Pharos Designer system.
Ádám Kis, head of control system from Be Light! said: “The architecture of the MVM Dome is truly stunning, and we were delighted to be appointed to deliver the lighting scheme to accentuate this. By using control solutions from Pharos, we have given the venue a flexible and dynamic lighting system that can easily be adapted to suit the differing needs of the arena.”
Mark de Gruyter, Regional Sales Manager for EMEA at Pharos Architectural Controls added: “The MVM Dome is a very impressive venue, attracting global talent across sport, entertainment and music. It is very rewarding to see Pharos solutions playing a key role in the success of their events, ensuring the arena can deliver fantastic results for the thousands of visitors attending each year.”
