The largest women’s tennis tournament in Austria, the WTA Upper Ladies Linz, made its comeback this year at the Design Center Linz. The multifunctional hall is considered one of the most attractive event venues in Europe. The tournament is part of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is played on indoor courts, attracting international players ranked in the middle to high positions of the world rankings to Linz every year. The tournament was first held in 1991 and has since become a prominent event in the WTA calendar. SmartArena provided the LED floodlight system, which was manufactured at their production facility in Styria.
Sebastian Trieb, Sales Director of SmartArena, commented on the project: “Although the WTA did not specify any requirements regarding camera positions, we still took that into consideration during the planning phase. To further enhance the quality of TV broadcasts, we used High TLCI 95 LED chips. A particular challenge in the lighting design was the low ceiling height.”
We asked for feedback from the Design Center Linz. Thomas Kloibhofer, who supervised the project on behalf of the event location along with Stefan Kumar and Klaus Steininger, responded to our inquiry: “The company Preworks has been well-known in our venue for a long time, which gave us a basic level of trust when awarding the contract. Afterwards, our expectations were fully met, and the consultation was highly professional. I know it sounds easier than it is to evenly illuminate a space like this. Everything worked out perfectly, and we were very satisfied.” Stefan Kumar also stated: “The support was excellent, and even last-minute changes on the second court were implemented quickly. The calibration of the system by Mr. Peter Durstberger worked excellently.”
FACTS:
- 1300 lux at the Center Court (g1 0.86/g2 0.76)
- 1600 lux at the Match Court (g1 0.80/g2 0.69)
- Despite being an indoor event, our DLC shading system was used
- The DLC system minimized glare for the spectators
- The lighting design was conducted by Preworks GmbH
GENERAL:
Client: Design Center Linz Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H., Website: www.design-center.at
Planning and Supervision: Preworks GmbH, www.preworks.at
Equipment in use: SmartArena Tera GEN3r LED floodlights with DLC
Photos: Alexander Scheuber – Getty Images, Graphics: Preworks GmbH
SmartArena Sales and Support International: Preworks GmbH, www.smart-arena.com
