How did the MAINSTAGE in the Brabanthallen get a better look?

Emphasize the contours more. Sophisticated lighting plan gives MAINSTAGE in Den Bosch body and soul.

A multifunctional hall full of atmosphere that you can convert from concert or theater hall to exhibition floor in no time. How to do that? Rob van de Ven, owner of Service VBV, has the answer. Commissioned by leisure concern Libéma, he devised a sophisticated lighting plan for the Brabanthallen 's-Hertogenbosch, which gives the MAINSTAGE the appearance it deserves. Pivotal to the lighting plan are RGB-W LED strips from Tronix Lighting, which stylishly accentuate the existing trusses. Thanks to the LED strips, exactly the right atmosphere can be achieved. At any time and for any occasion.

"Brabanthallen 's-Hertogenbosch wanted to welcome more congresses, concerts, company parties and other events, in a space with character and body," Van de Ven says. "At the same time, they wanted to be able to easily and quickly convert the MAINSTAGE, for example, to also facilitate trade fairs. The multifunctional use made specific demands on the layout, choice of materials and lighting, among other things. A wide color spectrum, high color fastness and optimal controllability were essential. In order to meet these requirements, I contacted Tronix Lighting as early as the design phase. We soon came up with the idea of emphasizing the contours of the trusses. A trial installation followed and also convinced Brabanthallen 's-Hertogenbosch and Libéma."

Great height, long lengths

The challenge for the contour lighting was particularly the long lengths, Van de Ven emphasizes, as the hall is 57 meters wide. "Moreover, due to the height of the building (10 meters), quite a lot of power was needed. Yet we wanted to keep the number of supply points limited. Here too, together with Tronix Lighting, we found a solution, in the form of 'constant current' LED strips. These LED strips are colorfast up to a length of 20 meters, thanks in part to a powerful double layer PCB. The result is a beautiful atmosphere in even light, without color changes."

Any desired light color

The RGB-W LED strips feature LEDs in four colors (red, green, blue and white), with which any desired color can be mixed, says Maarten Verbruggen, managing director of Tronix Lighting. "Moreover, the color intensity can be played with. For example, during carnival, the lighting is switched to the colors of the carnival club, while at cabaret performances the MAINSTAGE is beautifully lit in soft blue." The contour lighting is linked to the building management system through a KNX bus system and can be easily controlled from a tablet. Van de Ven: "Thanks to a KNX/DMX link, the light and sound technician can also play with the lighting. This makes the lighting even more part of the visitor experience."

Custom profiles

For the trusses in MAINSTAGE, Tronix Lighting supplied about 100 meters of RGB-W LED strips, including corresponding connection diagrams for power supplies and controllers. "Normally the LED strips are fixed with aluminum profiles," Van de Ven explains. "But because the strips for MAINSTAGE had a different width and a larger PCB, the standard profiles did not fit. Instead, a customized profile was made, which also provides cooling for the strips."

Verbruggen: "The trusses have an X-shape. The profiles and strips are mounted in the middle of the bottom corner, with the trusses themselves providing exactly the right radiation angle."

The response to MAINSTAGE and its contour lighting has been laudatory, both men emphasize. "By now, so many artists want to use the hall that the waiting time has increased to about two years. A nice compliment for our efforts."

Smart emergency lighting

In addition to the contour lighting, Tronix Lighting also supplied smart emergency lighting for the Brabanthallen. "In the building, an emergency exit is provided every five meters," Van de Ven explains. "These emergency exits are all available at large events. At smaller events, however, fewer doors are needed. In that case, the emergency exit lighting above the closed doors can easily be switched off by remote control. This eliminates the need to tape off the emergency lighting and - in case of an emergency - directs visitors to the correct escape doors."

Nice reference

Earlier this year, Tronix Lighting introduced a new corporate identity, with a fresh, yellow look. The product portfolio was also split into three, distinguishing between an installer package, a Christmas and party lighting package and a package of loose components such as LED strips, power supplies, controllers and profiles. "Looking toward the future, we see tremendous added value in these individual products, as they allow custom lighting concepts to be realized," Verbruggen says. "MAINSTAGE is a great reference for this."