Poland - The Gdańsk Institute of Urban Culture is a multi-purpose venue that features an immersive experience with L-ISA technology from L-Acoustics. “Gdańsk has always been blessed with a pioneering, independent way of thinking. Everything starts here – one might say – and innovative spaces like Gdańsk Institute of Urban Culture with its L-ISA immersive experience help the community’s cultural vibrancy to flourish,” says Pawel Kuhn, marketing director at Audio Plus, which installed the new audio technology.
Housed in a converted water plant, which even features a river running underneath so that visitors can traverse via glass floors, the space is fittingly called the Kunszt Wodny (Water Art) building. The Institute creates and hosts a vast range of projects designed to promote culture and nurture the city's heritage. The building features a 50sq.m interactive model of Gdańsk, a café, a bookstore, three workshop rooms, and an auditorium, which Audio Plus has equipped with an L-Acoustics L-ISA immersive sound system.
The 250-capacity auditorium space is adaptable, hosting everything from cinema, concerts, and theatre productions to conferences and commercial hires. A multitude of objectives were taken into account when choosing an audio system. World-class audio reproduction is the cornerstone, but optimal flexibility and versatility were equally important due to the fluid nature of the demands placed upon the space. The system needed to be compact and unobtrusive while packing a powerful punch. “The city of Gdańsk required the space to be a special, one-of-a-kind venue that would offer a spectacular cultural experience,” explains Kuhn.
Audio Plus’ long-time contractor Sound Design & Stage Technology proposed an immersive audio technology design based on L-Acoustics L-ISA technology for the space. The city of Gdańsk was excited by the idea, and the proposal was accepted. Audio Plus, L-Acoustics certified distributor in Poland, was appointed general contractor for the project to provide sound and stage technology for the entire venue, including the auditorium, overseeing a mix of several subcontractors, with lighting delivered by LTT, stage mechanics by BSC, cinema equipment via Awaco, and finishing touches, including the acoustic cladding, entrusted to ESM Systems.
The final configuration consisted of five hangs of two L-Acoustics A10i spread across the proscenium, with two flown hangs of two KS21i subwoofers. Seven 5XT placed along the stage lip provide spatial fill. 12 X8, each on the side and back walls, provide surround, while six further X8 mounted in the ceiling provide overhead.
The system is powered by five LA2Xi and one LA4X amplified controllers, while an L-ISA Processor II manages object-based spatialisation. A stage monitor system of four X12 and eight X8 is powered by two LA4X amplified controllers.
“To help bring this kind of innovative thinking and technology to the city is an achievement for Audio Plus, as well as an incredible honour,” says Kuhn. “The L-Acoustics L-ISA installation looks light and simple in the space but is unbelievably powerful at the same time. It’s everything we could have wanted.”
