Alba Arena


ProjectAlba ArenaLocationSzékesfehérvár, HungaryArchitectMihály Balázs & Attila Tamás TarnóczkyLighting DesignerBe Light!Submitted ByPharos Architectural Controls

Alba Arena is a multifunctional venue, located in the Hungarian city of Székesfehérvár. It has been built to become the home of the Hydro Fehérvár AV19 professional ice hockey team.

It will also serve as an event and community centre, a domestic hockey venue, and host 20-25 other indoor sports. With a capacity of 6,000 spectators for hockey matches and up to 8,000 for concerts and other events, lighting will play a key role in creating a truly encompassing experience.

The main challenge stemmed from the need to provide flexible, customisable lighting that could cater to both the demands of high-energy sports matches and the more controlled atmosphere required for concerts and other events.

The existing infrastructure had to support a sophisticated, dynamic system that could seamlessly switch between these varied lighting scenarios.

To address this, the Pharos Designer range was chosen for its versatility. A two-universe Designer LPC (Lighting Playback Controller) is being used alongside a Designer TPC (Touch Panel Controller) and Designer BPS (Button Panel Station).

The LPC is an award-winning, all-in-one controller that is designed for 24/7 operation. Offering unrivalled reliability for LED installations, the it features individually controllable and independently running timelines and scenes. This is ideal for offering fully customisable pre-programmed lighting effects – and perfect for Alba Aréna, a stadium designed to host a wide variety of different activities, each with their own lighting needs.

The TPC is an award-winning, elegant touchscreen lighting controller with a 4.3” capacitive touch panel. It offers sleek styling and an advanced lighting control playback engine. The touchscreen user interface is fully customisable using the free Pharos Designer 2 software.

Completing the system, the BPS is a versatile eight-button panel station with integrated button LEDs that works with any Pharos Designer controller.

Alba Aréna has been designed by two award-winning architects, Mihály Balázs, winner of the Kossuth-Prize, and Attila Tamás Tarnóczky, winner of the Pro Architectura Prize.

It boasts impressive sustainability credentials, with heat pumps being used instead of gas to ensure the right temperature inside.

Although the heat pumps need electricity to operate, the lower levels of the arena, including the seating areas and the actual pitch, are located below ground level, significantly reducing the amount of power required to cool and heat them, thereby delivering a lower carbon footprint and lower energy bills.
The Alba Aréna plays a big part in the cultural calendar of Hungary.

From sporting events to concerts and more, the stadium is set to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

The Pharos solutions that have been specified and installed will undoubtedly help spectators have an enjoyable and memorable visit to Alba Aréna.