A great example of a community coming together to redevelop and reclaim itself is the Chester Waterfront.
This Philadelphia neighbor’s aging waterfront, once a study in urban decay, has been dramatically reborn, thanks in no small part to the opening of the new PPL Park, the city’s first major league soccer stadium.
The park has been a catalyst for economic growth along the waterfront, the first phase of a long-term development of a Riverwalk district that will include retail, stores, residential buildings and entertainment venues.
Opened in June of 2010, the park offers breathtaking views of the Commodore Barry Bridge and Delaware River, and includes more than 30 luxury suites, a full-service restaurant and integrated concert stage.
Audio for the venue was designed by Dallas-based Acoustic Dimensions and installed by systems integrators AVI-SPL of Columbia, MD, and features R-Series all-weather systems from the city’s own Community Professional Loudspeakers.
As Acoustic Dimension’s Brian Elwell explains, the fact that the project was in Community’s own backyard was serendipitous. “There was a lot of focus on the local economy, and they were employing a lot of local contractors and providers,” he says. “With Community nearby, it was a great opportunity to integrate their loudspeakers into the project.”
The system includes 44 of Community’s R2-77Z long-throw loudspeakers covering the north, east and west seating areas, with 16 R2SUB subwoofers providing powerful bottom end.
A pair of M4Coax-94 horns and W2-125 subwoofers cover the south seating. Lab Gruppen amplification powers the entire system, with signal processing and alignment handled via a Peavey Media Matrix NION system.
Sound to the concourses, outdoor press areas and North Club seating is provided by 38 Community I/O5T enclosures, with five of the larger I/O8T units handling the ticket booths. Indoors, 46 CLOUD6 in-ceiling loudspeakers take care of the suites, media dining and club house areas.
“Community was great to work with, and their team was very receptive to our comments,” adds Elwell. “The end result was a system everyone was exceptionally pleased with.”
