Robe Power Lighting for Linz Bridge Opening

	Photo: Thomas Maier

Eighty of Robe's most powerful moving light fixtures - iBOLT, iFORTE, and iFORTE LTX -- were used for a visually stunning lighting scheme designed by Thomas Maier from event production company NoiseGate Eventtechnik GmbH to illuminate a special performance show celebrating the completion of the 305m-wide Danube Valley suspension bridge -- Donautalbrucke -- in Linz, Austria.

NoiseGate was working for event creative agency brandmood who produced the show for their end client, ASFINAG Bau Management GmbH, the organization that manages the country's nationwide autobahns system. The artistic director was Beda Percht.

The steel-reinforced concrete composite bridge is part of a new four-lane western bypass on the A26 autobahn spanning the Danube, railroad tracks, and two main roads while circumnavigating the city of Linz. Its main cables are 500m long, and a total of 24cm by 15cm diameter steel cables carry the bridge structure weighing 13,000 tons.

Donautalbrucke connects the existing traffic networks -- north and south of the river -- via tunnels and has been under construction for five years.

When Maier landed the job of designing the lights, he knew he would need the brightest and most powerful lighting fixtures to highlight the 15-minute all-action show performed by specialist puppet performance company DUNDU featuring eight aerialists tightly choreographed and performing from the bridge to a specially composed soundtrack.

He immediately thought of Robe's moving lights to highlight the action as well as the elegant spans of the bridge.

Lighting positions were limited. After a site survey, Maier and his team proposed the installation of two lighting banks either end of the bridge, each with 20 iFORTES, working in conjunction with 20 iFORTE LTX's, and 20 iBOLTS positioned along the bridge span.

While the PA system was anchored in place with trusses cantilevered off the bridge structure, the lights were positioned precisely on flight cases standing at predefined intervals along the span.

"This is a BIG bridge, and I needed huge, bold, bright, amazing fat beams of light for impact, and I knew these Robe fixtures were the perfect solution," states Maier.

As well as seriously potent lights, Maier needed weatherproof fixtures, so these were the two prime considerations -- output and IP ratings. He also wanted to use one band of lighting, and furthermore appreciated the LTX's 3.5 - 52-degree zoom range to be able to highlight specific areas on the opposite sides of the bridge.

These were combined with 120 small static wash lights to create the show lighting, with all luminaires run via a wireless Lumines data system.

Maier worked alongside Thomas Kloibhofer from depot-zwei on the lighting programming and show design.

Donautalbrucke was a collaborative design by schlaich bergermann partner (sbp), Baumann + Obholzer Ingenieure and gmp Architekten who won an international competition back in 2003. There are no pylons as the single span suspension cables are anchored directly into the steep rocky slopes of the Danube valley, making it the longest ground-secured suspension bridge in the world and a uniquely innovative engineering achievement.

This was the first bridge that Maier had lit, an experience he really enjoyed, including its many galvanizing aspects and the ability to fully utilize Robe products.

NoiseGate, based in Furstenfeld, has many Robe products in its inventory and is very happy with the brand. In addition to the FORTES and iFORTES, they have Spiiders and LEDBeam 150s, which Maier notes "always work very well whatever the scenario."

Linz Bridge was also his first time using iBOLTS and he was suitably impressed. "I loved the output, the massive beam, and the general look of the fixtures and its effects," he comments.