The Green Point Stadium, situated in one of the most sought-after areas in Cape Town, was once an 18 000 seat multi-purpose stadium. When South Africa was granted the right to host the World Cup, all this had to change to cater for the needs of the beautiful game and its supporters. And so the construction of the breathtaking Cape Town Stadium began. We at GIBB are justifiably proud of the Engineering Awards we received at the recent CESA Excellence Awards Ceremony for our work on this magnificent stadium, recognising the innovation, quality, outstanding workmanship and professionalism of this project.

“GIBB, as a member of the Cape Town Stadium electrical engineering joint venture, was responsible for the event floodlighting, roof, external façade, podium deck and turnstile lighting at the Cape Town Stadium, as well as the lighting of the stadium precinct and Green Point Urban Park,” explains Dennis Forster, the GIBB Director who headed up the lighting project, and who accepted the CESA award on behalf of GIBB.

The lighting solutions supplied by GIBB are people-centric in that they take into account how the psychology of the spectator is affected by visible light. The basic lighting concepts use light colour and relative brightness to draw spectators from the external stadium areas towards the field inside the stadium, which is the focus of the event. “The stadium event lighting is designed to comply with the 2007 FIFA specifications, which permit high definition television recording and broadcasting of games,” adds Forster. “This is a higher standard than was applied to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.”

The scope and scale of the final installations are impressive, as 360 flood lights (the so-called “ring of fire”) are arranged in a continuous ring around the inside perimeter of the stadium roof, 50m above the field to illuminate the playing surface.  In total, more than 3700 light fittings and literally kilometers of wiring were required to make the stadium lighting one of the most advanced in the world. “Jerome Valcke, FIFA’s Secretary General, has been reported to have said that Cape Town Stadium is a new benchmark in football stadium design,” comments Forster.

“Looking at the stadium today, you simply cannot compare the radiant spectacle of the arena at night to the original Green Point Stadium. The Cape Town Stadium is a beacon in more ways than one, and we are convinced that the beauty of the construction and the lighting will be attracting visitors to Cape Town for many years to come,” concludes Forster.  “With limited light pollution, the multi-purpose Cape Town Stadium is suitable for football and rugby, as well as music concerts and major events. This stadium is truly deserving of its name as ‘one of the most artistic football venues in South Africa’.”