Tula State Circus opened its doors again in the winter of 2015 after a major overhaul. The restoration works involved accomplishing some complex tasks, namely replacement of all the main utilities of the building, repairs of the roof, auditorium, arena and rooms for animals, installation of new ventilation and lighting systems.
Modern LED solutions by IntiLED company are used for dynamic lighting of the facade. IntiTOP series floodlights with 54° optics are built in the upper tier of the building and frame it creating a denticulate pattern around the entire diameter. At the middle level there are IntiRAY spotlights aimed in opposite directions. Two vertical window apertures of the building are accented with 6 IntiSPOT RGBW point source luminaires each. 16 IntiSTARK series RGBW spotlights are installed radially on the dome.
A total of over 200 lighting fixtures are used in the project. The lighting is controlled using a hardware and software package (DMX-512 protocol) integrated into a single automated system with lighting and electrical equipment. One personal computer is used to control all the lighting via the Internet.
LightDesignProject company developed lighting concept and scenarios, supplied and installed lighting equipment and configured the software based controls.
Tula Circus is one of the oldest in the country, it was built in 1870. The building was wooden but quite spacious and housed 860 seats and the gallery. In 1909 Ivan Poddubny erected there a log building of a new circus. The circus never closed, even during the Great Patriotic War. And when the building was destroyed by a fire in 1948, it was decided to build a new modern one. Architects took as a model Kiev Circus considered in those days as one of the best circuses in the Soviet Union. However Tula Circus also had its own know-how, for example a platform that moved the arena up and down, and no other circus in the country had such structure. New Tula Circus was opened on September 3, 1963 and up to the present day it still delights its guests.
Photos: Mikhail Matyushin, LightDesignProject company
