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March 2014 l 61


installationfeature


Active Audio RayON R100 column in Paris


architectural design for sheer sensory impact, airport audio is witnessing something of a quiet revolution…


1. There are more airports… and they are getting bigger Most suppliers report growing business in the airport sector, and no wonder given that the CAPA Airport Construction and Capex website currently lists over US$385 billion worth of projects globally – with 69 regional airports on the books in China alone. Not only are more airports being constructed, they are also “in a constant state of expansion and upgrade,” says Biamp Systems’ executive vice-president of marketing, Graeme Harrison. “These regular changes translate into a need for an audio system to be expandable – specifically, flexible expandability. A future-proofed system provides an airport with the ability to reconfigure around construction, and add onto the system as construction is completed.” So a reasonable level of


redundancy in a system and some sophisticated DSP are pretty much obligatory if one is to create “a truly future- proofed system [that] can be employed and grow as needs change and develop.”


2. Airports are also busier than ever… so effective zoning is essential Larger spaces and more activity – ticketing, security checks and so forth – “naturally increase the level of stress travellers experience. So more airports are looking for inexpensive ways to decrease traveller and employee


stress, increase efficiencies, and improve the overall environment,” says Harrison. Translated to technical means, this spells a greater focus on “controlling and better management of the audio throughout the airport via easily reconfigurable, zoned paging areas” that can help to reduce “the aural clutter and provide a quieter environment”. In particular, Harrison – who points to Biamp’s own Vocia DSPs and Tesira scalable audio system as popular choices for airport installs – hails the benefits of “granular zoning, [which] allows for the spaces to be addressed as large combined zones, or drilled down into very specific, smaller spaces, all dependent upon the need and the message being communciated.”


3. Effective intelligibility and subtle soundscaping are vital As Lindsay-Johnson has


already indicated, sound also has a role to play in encouraging retail sales. Hence some airports need speakers able to deliver subtle ambient soundscapes. And this capability can deliver real results, with a three-month pilot trial at Glasgow Airport using an ambient soundscape played in busy walkways helping to generate a 10% increase in sales for airport retailers (source: Biamp Building in Sound, white paper 2012/The Sound Agency). But with new regulations such as the latest additions to EN 54 and, in the US, NFPA 72 coming through, ensuring perfect intelligibility of the spoken word is even more crucial. “As regards loudspeakers, compliance with


LAS VEGAS MCCARRAN REVAMPS TERMINAL 1 WITH RENKUS-HEINZ ICONYX


ALONGSIDE THE recent opening of its new 1.9 million sqft Terminal 3, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas has also revamped and renovated the original Terminal 1 – a programme of work that included the installation of an updated sound system featuring dozens of Renkus-Heinz Iconyx digitally steerable array loudspeakers. Kansas-based Coffeen Fricke & Associates, Inc (CFA) designed the system, which includes 32 Iconyx IC16-R-II arrays to cover the expansive baggage claim area, as well


as 22 more IC16-R-II columns mounted every 50 feet overlooking the main ticketing lobby. Robert Ledo, CFA’s senior vice- president, comments: “The Iconyx system actually enabled us to provide better intelligibility than an overhead distribution scheme. It can concentrate the energy right at the people and cut through the background noise.” Eduoard Charland, VP of CFA, also emphasises the ability of the Iconyx system to deliver audio precisely where it is required. “The Iconyx systems


“With increasing bandwidth and speed available, and with the emergence of trusted standards, the IP backbone has transformed into a way of delivering incremental services while saving costs” David Gostick, Barix


EN54-24 in European airports is often mandatory, including obtaining correct speech intelligibility,” says Xavier Meynial, technical director of Active Audio. Making reference to the company’s own Iconyx Digitally Steerable Column Arrays, Renkus-Heinz VP sales and marketing Rik Kirby describes steerable columns as “natural solutions” to ensure intelligibility. “They allow intelligible sound to be aimed directly at the passengers,


while avoiding the predominantly hard surfaces, like glass and concrete, that create reflections and make announcements harder to understand,” says Kirby. A manufacturer’s attainment


of compliance with ISO 9000 – a series of quality assurance standards developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation – can also play an important role, “especially in developing countries where there may not be specific government regulations around


enabled us to create customised coverage patterns to fit each space, and afforded us a degree of control and monitoring over the systems that a facility like McCarran International Airport demands,” he says. The entire system is linked via Renkus-Heinz RHAON networking technology, allowing for complex DSP programming to custom-steer each array independently using multiple beams. The RHAON software and on- board contact closures also monitor each array for proper operation.


safety and quality,” says Harrison. “Safety and reliability are things everyone expects, but may not think of how they would be provided until you begin discussing their needs in detail.”


4. IP-based intercoms and paging continue to become more prevalent David Gostick, product manager at Barix, observes that the company has been producing audio-over-IP hardware for more than a decade, with its current offer including the Annuncicom IP intercom range. There has, he says, been a steadily increasing acceptance of this approach. “With increasing bandwidth and speed available, and with the emergence of trusted standards, the IP backbone has transformed into a way of delivering incremental services while saving costs,” he says. Now we should also anticipate the introduction of more IP-based Help Points that enable customers to contact


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