All Sorts of Sports

The Arena Zagreb is a new multi-purpose sports center with a seating capacity of around 16,000. Located in the south west of the Croatian capital, it was completed in 2008 in time to host the 2009 World Men‘s Handball Championship. The Arena will also now be used for football, handball, athletics, basketball and other sporting events. In addition, the site which extends over 5 floors includes the Arena Complex - an extensive building complex housing Zagreb's largest shopping center as well as concert, congress, convention and exhibition facilities. The Arena Zagreb and the Arena Complex also share services such as an underground parking lot, a multiplex cinema and wellness center plus numerous restaurants, cafés and stores.

As with all multifunctional facilities where large numbers of people congregate, security is a major issue at the Arena Zagreb, and with a venue of this complexity it was obviously preferable to integrate the security systems as much as possible. For this, the venue owners and Tehnozavod Marusic, the company responsible for installing the systems selected Bosch Security Systems, principally because of their solid reputation in fire alarm, emergency-evacuation with professional sound and CCTV-surveillance systems, but also because of the extensive possibilities for integration provided by the company's Building Integration System (BIS). Throughout the installation, Tehnozavod Marusic was also supported by the Hungarian Bosch national sales organization which is responsible for a large part of the Balkan region.

The BIS provides a single, unified web-based point of control for keeping all the security systems in the Arena running smoothly. Systems that are seamlessly integrated by the BIS include fire and intrusion alarm, evacuation, access-control and CCTV. Once integrated, all systems are controlled via one platform, with one user interface based on Windows and using familiar Internet browser technology. And all communication between systems can take place via the BIS. In the event of an emergency, the BIS is capable of starting predefined procedures and sending predefined warning messages over the Public Address and Voice Evacuation system. It therefore simplifies the monitoring and emergency processes and reduces the chance of mistakes, enhancing the safety of the whole complex.

The BIS works with worldwide open and tested IT-standards such as OPC, XML, HTML and Windows - which means that security programs from third parties can also be as easily integrated. Examples of third-party systems integrated by the BIS include the Arena's Building Automation System, the CO detection system which comprises 12 detector lines that interface with the fire alarm system and with the BIS, and the access-control system which allows only authorized access to special rooms within the Arena complex.

Fire Alarm and Voice Evacuation
The Arena's fire alarm system is certified according to EN 54 and comprises almost 1500 420 series intelligent fire detectors and other peripherals meeting the diverse requirements of the many areas within the venue, including the parking garage, catacombs, corridors, restaurants, conference halls and reception areas. These detectors are controlled by two 5000 Series Modular Fire Panels connected to BIS, each operating with around 750 detector units. The system also features built-in redundancy with each central system supported by a second 5000 Series panel available to take over the fire alarm system if the main panel should fail.

The fire panels are connected directly to a Praesideo public address and voice evacuation system from Bosch. The fully-digital EN 60849 certified EVAC-compliant system was considered particularly attractive for the demanding Arena application as it offers virtually limitless networking and multi-zone possibilities - the latter allowing for phased evacuation of a large number of people. In addition, the system's digital audio processing guarantees superior sound quality to provide clear verbal messages directing people to the escape routes in the event of a fire alarm or other emergency.

A Sound Concept
All the 100V Evac loudspeakers which were also provided by Bosch are designed to ensure that emergency messages are not interrupted in the event of a fire. Every loudspeaker is supplied with a ceramic block and heat resistant wiring to protect the circuit from shorts in the event of fire reaching the loudspeakers. In addition, a fire dome can be mounted on the ceiling speakers to prevent fire travelling to adjacent areas through the over-ceiling space. Hosting concerts as well as sporting events, the Arena is the first sports complex in the Balkans featuring a professional audio system. This is provided by an advanced audio installation featuring a combination of Electro-Voice and Dynacord professional audio systems that have proven themselves in demanding concert venues around the world. The systems connect with the Praesideo public address and voice evacuation system to complement the Evac loudspeakers in providing background music. The total system, including Evac and professional audio comprises more than 2,000 loudspeakers and includes an automatic volume control function controlled by the Praesideo which modifies the volume within the Arena depending on the background noise.

Continuous Monitoring Enhances Security
The fully IP CCTV system, comprising several hundred Dinion fixed IP cameras and Autodome cameras from Bosch is controlled by the company's video management system (BVMS) central software. Also under the control of the BIS server, the BVMS is a dedicated enterprise IP video security solution that provides seamless management of digital video, audio and data across the IP network. Most of the cameras are equipped with Bosch's advanced intelligent video analysis (IVA) capability, which acts as a guard-assistant system and is able to detect idle and removed objects as well as loitering, multiple line crossing, and trajectories within the stadium and bring these to the attention of the security personnel. All video, including the IVA data, is stored on iSCSI disk arrays and the BVMS has a powerful ‘forensic search' function. This enables hours of video evidence to be searched through in seconds, even while the sporting event is still in progress, to spot suspicious activity and, if necessary, provide video evidence to support prosecutions. IVA can also identify offenders by the color of their clothing and enable them to be tracked throughout the facility, even to the parking garage.

Although not supplied by Bosch, the intrusion alarm system and the ticketing system are also connected directly to the BVMS. Tickets are checked electronically at the gate and ticket numbers are stored by the BVMS which later enables quick retrieval of the archived camera picture of each ticket holder without the need to check the whole recorded video. Advanced megapixel cameras also form an essential part of the CCTV system supplied by Bosch. These continuously monitor the stands and in the event of trouble erupting, the images can be digitally zoomed to clearly identify individual offenders. Moreover, if necessary, the archived images can be compared with the live images from the corresponding seating area.

The Arena Zagreb is destined to become a major sports and entertainment center in the Balkans, and like all such centers could be a high-profile target for terrorist activity as well as hooliganism and theft. Recognizing this, the venue owners and the installers have made no compromises on security, with the result that the Arena, without doubt, offers its visitors the highest degree of safety that modern technology can provide.