The new Howard Smith Wharves (HSW) in Brisbane, Australia, a multiplexed, family-oriented leisure village overlooking the Brisbane River offering 20 hospitality zones to visitors, has been outfitted with almost 250 CDD Series loudspeakers from Martin Audio by AV systems integrator Ampd Electronics (also based in Brisbane).
Developed by the HSW Nominees consortium led by Adam Flaskas, a wasteland of old disused heritage buildings, that had remained derelict for several decades, has been completely transformed into the new development. Highlights include a series of bars and restaurants (including a microbrewery), a 1,700-capacity events space, performance areas for acoustic artists and DJs, and a boutique hotel.
The complex is also one of the biggest single deployments of Martin Audio loudspeakers, including the previously noted CDD Series, as well as IP-rated weatherized (WR) versions. Everything is connected to a QSC Q-Sys backbone on which all the individual venues are networked, allowing any audio source to be routed to any destination.
“We’ve had great success with the CDD range in the past so when approached to design a system for this world class venue it was an obvious choice that came to mind,” states Jason Lea, Technical Director of Ampd, noting that the operators had no intention of skimping on audio quality. “This development has been the talk of the town and something that keeps coming up is the scale of the audio system, not only the size but also the quality of the Martin Audio systems.”
Ampd had been introduced to the project by referral, and their fit-out team faced some challenges. “Every building bar one was heritage listed, which imposed restrictions, and there were also noise restrictions because it’s in a residential area,” explains Matt Hayes, Sales Coordinator at Ampd. “We chose CDD for their dispersion technology and even coverage right across the space, for anything from low SPL levels all the way up to nightclub levels.”
As an example of the CDD Series deployment, Felons Brewery, HSW’s central pub, incorporates more than 100 the Martin Audio loudspeakers along with SX210 subwoofers mounted in the ceiling. The total inventory comprises 43 CDD6-WR and 32 CDD8-WR weatherized loudspeakers, 16 CDD8, four CDD6, a pair of CDD5, as well as six SX210 slimline, dual-driver subwoofers and a pair of SX212 compact subs.
Meanwhile, Howard’s Hall, the event space located in the center of the precinct offering spectacular views of the Story Bridge and city skyline via retractable floor-to-ceiling glass windows, is also equipped with nine compact CDD6-WR and six CDD8-WR enclosures.
As to the integrated mood technology generally, lighting is also triggered automatically after dark, and all AV runs from a master central Crestron CP3 system interfaced to local touch panels in each venue. A second renovated events space has now also been proposed that will again utilize Martin Audio loudspeakers.
