Viola Park in Florence, Italy, a new sports center and home to the ACF Fiorentina football club, is outfitted with sound systems incorporating a variety of K-array loudspeakers and supporting components deployed in the main stadium and gymnasiums as well as medical, media and wellness centers.
Systems integrator Professional Show partnered with Viola Park on the project. Following a demo at the Artemio Franchi Stadium, the former home of the ACF Fiorentina team, the integration firm was selected as the technology partner.
In the 3,000-seat-capacity Curva Fiesole stadium, Professional Show opted to deploy 21 KGEAR GH12 loudspeakers and seven GS18 subwoofers in each bleacher section, rigged discreetly to blend in with the architecture while providing the required SPL for matches and events.
“Drawing from our previous experience with the K-array Mugello system and leveraging the DSP capability of KGEAR GA46 amplifiers, we designed an unconventional loudspeaker reinforcement system that matches the aesthetics of the stadium and guarantees an even coverage of the stands with moderately high SPL,” explains Giovanni Beoni, sales manager at Professional Show who served as project manager. “We developed a quasi-horizontal step array of GH12 loudspeakers to meet the architectural constraints.
“For each of the seven loudspeaker clusters, the three KGEAR GH12 in-step array configurations are evenly distributed under the ceiling so that the positioning compensates for the up-tilt angle of the seat coverings,” Beoni continues. “Each GH12 is angled downward with defined tilting angles to maximize coverage across the listening area. Further, each loudspeaker cluster is complemented by a GS18 subwoofer to complete the system frequency response.”
Aside from the main football stadiums, the project also comprised audio installations at various spaces across the site. In the Media Centre, home to a press room and digital museum, Professional Show and K-array collaborated to design a system that would meet the architect’s request for an visibly discreet and modular approach while ensuring clarity of speech during live interviews. Four Kobra loudspeakers, four Rumble subwoofers and a pair of two linear meters of Anakonda blend the audio technology with aesthetics.
Even the bars within Viola Park, named Maglia Viola and Il Giglio, are equipped audio systems utilizing K-array Vyper flat loudspeakers and Rumble subwoofers integrated via Q-SYS control.
“The work carried out at Viola Park has further sealed and strengthened the partnership between Professional Show and K-array,” concludes Beoni. “ K-array has proved to be a winning solution for Fiorentina and yet another great project where we were able to collaborate and work together with the K-array team to deliver the highest-quality solution.”
