Created by RHWL Architects, the hotel also offers unsurpassed conference and events facilities. These include an entire floor of the hotel that features a groundbreaking arrangement of moving partitions, allowing the floor to be used as a single, large space or configured as up to ten individual rooms.
TGM Solutions specified and installed the audio system. The company's Ian Kersen says: "The partitions can be arranged in many different configurations, allowing the conference space and A/V facilities to be re-organised according to client-specific requirements," says Kersen. "Being a brand new, four star hotel, the facilities naturally had to be at the cutting edge, including audio provision.
"However, the flexibility offered by the moving partitions provided a major audio challenge. We had to ensure that whatever arrangement of rooms was configured with the partitions - from one up to ten - that each space had a discrete audio system which would not impact on any of the other areas. But the system also had to be flexible enough to be tailored very quickly and easily by hotel staff to different room arrangements."
TGM Solutions answer was to utilise an input/output panel in each of the 10 rooms, with a Yamaha DME64n Digital Mixing Engine electronically switching a matrix of inputs and outputs to ensure that, whatever the configuration of the movable partitions, the sound from any particular inputs is only output in the desired areas.
The system is designed to provide sound reinforcement for client presentations, background music and other specific audio requirements. Inputs for line and mic sources are provided, with loudspeaker output sockets and pre-and post-mix monitor outs as well as sound being able to be routed to the relevant JBL Control 26 ceiling speakers, which are installed throughout. In addition, the DME 64n also controls the audio for the hotel's ballroom, which can be configured as either one or two spaces.
"The system has a huge range of potential configurations," Kersen continues. "We set up around 500, which cope with the many different variations of space that the movable partitions provide. The massive matrix of the DME provides a lot of flexibility and choices. It means that what would otherwise be an extremely difficult audio facility can be controlled by the hotel staff in a very straight-forward way."
Control for the audio system is automatically run in tandem with that of the partitions. A touch screen system is used to move the partitions and, as they move, the DME automatically reconfigures the audio system to suit the room arrangement.
"It took a little while to learn the programming of the DME, but once learned it was very straightforward," says Ian. "We are very impressed with its ability and flexibility, plus the fact that it can work non-stop without any human interference. The hotel is very happy with it. To be honest, the DME 64n was the only product on the market that could cope with what was needed."
(Chris Henry)
