Inaugurated at the end of 2017, Ion Oblemenco Stadium is located in the Romania city of Craiova. The design concept was conceived by designer, Proiect Bucuresti and was based upon the Brâncuși egg, one of Romanian artist, Constantin Brâncuși, most recognised works. The height of the stadium reaches 60-metres, making it one of the tallest stadiums in this vicinity of Europe. The roof design adds the extra height, reaching upwards from the steep stands, and at the same time offers well-insulated acoustics in the bowl and doesn’t interfere with spectator sightlines.
The new stadium has a 30,000-capacity, took two-and-a-half years to build at a cost of 51m Euros, and is home to football club, CS Universitatea Craiova. To future-proof the stadium for mass sporting events, it required the security solution to abide by the stringent guidelines set out by the 2020 European Football Championships. The Craiova officials found their solution in Bosch Building Technologies.
Working closely with the on-site team, Bosch Building Technologies installed a fire and safety solution comprising four fire panels and 1,500 detectors. The stadium was also equipped with a new state-of-the-art sound system from Electro-Voice for music and commentary, Dynacord for evacuation, and Bosch loudspeakers for interior sound, as well as a Bosch conference and interpretation system for the press room.
Alexandru Tican from Bosch partner, Gerom International said: “We have been installing audio systems in Romania for about 20 years. We were the first company to use EASE 3D simulations. The scale of the project called for software simulation, so the contractor asked for our help. A key requirement was to achieve uniform SPL with high intelligibility for evacuation purposes. The goal was to achieve a SPL of 110dB, with a difference of less than 6dB, across all areas of the stadium.
“When we modelled in EASE4 we got excellent results with the Electro-Voice EVH-1152D 15-inch two-way loudspeakers and so decided to deploy them throughout the project.”
While the main sound reinforcement and public address systems serve different functions, they are completely integrated. A Dynacord DPM 8016 digital matrix handles all audio inputs, which are transported on optical fibre to four Electro-Voice Dx46 processors, and then to the amplifier racks containing 22 Electro-Voice CPS 2.12MkII amplifiers, 16 Dynacord DPA 8150 and four Dynacord DPA 8225 amplifiers on 100V line outputs. A Midas M32R console has also been installed. Bosch Building Technologies was keen to have a digital console in order to have the possibility to store and load presets as required.
The result of the final audio tests was much better than expected. Alexandru explained: “We measured the SPL at between 112dB and 113dB, compared to a predicted level of 114dB from the EASE simulation, and the maximum difference was only 4dB. The stadium now has very clear and intelligible sound. We knew that the Electro-Voice EVH Series dedicated installation loudspeakers would meet the spec with their high sensitivity, compact dimensions, dispersion pattern options, and EVCoat weather-resistant cabinets.”
Alongside the main sound system, Bosch Building Technologies also supplied and installed a video security system including 211 cameras, centrally managed on a single platform through an enterprise edition of the Bosch Video Management System (BVMS). The networked cameras serve a wide range of functions at entry and exit points and areas surrounding the stadium. On the perimeter, 115 robust DINION IP bullet 5000 cameras watch central avenues leading to the stadium, while 86 discrete FLEXIDOME IP 5000 cameras monitor visitors. For added security, eight AUTODOME IP 7000 cameras – two on the stadium outside, six inside – safeguard the surroundings with on-board Intelligent Video Analytics. Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) allows for smart video surveillance functions. For instance, Intelligent Tracking automatically tracks moving objects based on predefined alarm rules. Besides automatic tracking of objects of interest once certain predefine rules, like loitering, security operators in Craiova can also manually track groups of football fans or follow specific individuals.
Video streams of all 211 cameras are monitored in a central security room, manned by operator personnel and members of Romania’s police during matches. Video data is safely stored on two Bosch DIVAR IP 7000 network video recording units with a total of 256TB storage capacity. The recorders feature Video Recording Manager (VRM) software to increase reliability and reduce storage volumes and costs, by automatically balancing the video stream load to the free available storage devices. Also the recording units support forensic search enabling security operators to quickly retrieve the relevant video data from hours of stored video to deliver irrefutable evidence.
