To meet the challenging requirement profile and acoustics above all of the main lecture hall, specialists from GV Multimedia were called in to design and install the audio and video systems, with the company's Exeter branch performing the installation. It was a tricky task, of the kind that end either in plaudits or brickbats, with the interior architecture of the hall posing the first problem. "The main lecture hall is a six-cornered room with a large floor area but a relatively low ceiling," explains Daniel Victory, GV Multimedia's technical projects manager. "From the standpoint of room acoustics, those were hardly very promising starting conditions."
Furthermore, the hall was designed to be used not only for lectures, assemblies and presentations but also for concerts and theatrical performances. To ensure the needs of all such events were respected, acoustic consultant Steve Gosling of 24Acoustics was called in. Working together with Gosling, Victory and his team opted for a sound reinforcement solution from Electro-Voice, with 14 EVID FM 6.2 in-wall speaker systems forming the core of the installation.
"Our calculations showed that only through the use of a relatively large number of speakers would we be able to bring the acoustics of the hall under control," explains Victory. "At the same time, we had to be careful not to ruin the aura of what is aesthetically an extremely pleasing auditorium."
The audio system is complemented by three ZX-3 loudspeakers and two Electro-Voice Variplex Matinee cinema subwoofers. To further optimise the acoustic performance in the hexagonal hall, Victory and Gosling decided to include an artificial reverberation system comprising a further 14 EVID FM 6.2 in-wall speakers, capable of implementing a variety of reverberation scenarios.
"The sound reinforcement system is one of the genuine highlights of the installation in my view," affirms Victory. "The powerful, crisp and clear sound of the Electro-Voice loudspeakers is a true delight."
"Our Media and Design School is the flagship of the university," says Tom Hollingum, audio visual project manager & IT field services team leader at Bournemouth University. "This installation takes auditorium acoustics in a new direction. It is an investment in the future yet fully user-friendly. Our expectations have been more than satisfied."
Recognition of the quality of the installation in the Media and Design School auditorium has been forthcoming, too, from independent quarters with the jury of the English AV Awards 2011 voting it into second place in the category Education Project of the Year.
(Jim Evans)
