Taurama Aquatic Centre and Indoor Sports Complex: an eight-zone sound system for a pool and courts
Project snapshot
- Venue: Taurama Aquatic Centre and Indoor Sports Complex, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
- Sector: Aquatic and indoor sports venue
- Scope: Design and commissioning of a new multi-zone sound system with up to eight zones
The venue
Taurama Aquatic Centre and Indoor Sports Complex provides sporting facilities to international competition standard for swimming, volleyball, basketball and a range of other indoor sports. It was delivered in conjunction with our work at Sir John Guise Stadium, so the two systems were designed as a pair.
The brief
A full sound system for the whole complex, with the ability to run up to eight separate zones. Swimming events, an indoor basketball final and a function in a side room can all happen on the same day, and each area needs its own announcements and music without bleeding into the next.
What makes a pool complex difficult
Aquatic centres are among the hardest rooms to get right. Hard tiled surfaces and a large water surface create long reverberation times, so speech smears unless loudspeakers are aimed precisely at the audience and away from reflective surfaces. On top of that, the air is warm, humid and chlorinated, which corrodes ordinary loudspeaker hardware within a few years.
The design addressed both problems. ONE Systems loudspeakers, built for direct-weather and harsh environments, were chosen for their resistance to moisture and corrosion. Coverage was planned zone by zone so each court and the pool hall get direct, even sound at listener height rather than energy bouncing around the roof.
Zoning and control
The system was configured for up to eight zones, giving the venue independent control of source and level for the pool hall, the indoor courts and the supporting spaces. Announcements can be sent to a single zone or to the whole complex, and background music can run in some areas while a competition is being called in another.
Our role
Design and commissioning: loudspeaker selection and placement, amplification and zone processing, then on-site tuning and testing of every zone before handover to the venue's team.
Planning a sports or aquatic facility?
Pools, gyms and sports halls need a design that accounts for the room, not just the loudspeakers. Talk to us about AV installation, or request a site survey.
