MUSEUM OF AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRACY

Kings Hall hearing augmentation, audio system and acoustics upgrade completed in 2019.

Recipient of the ACT National Trust Heritage Award

Loudspeaker systems evaluation

The selection of the loudspeaker system for Kings Hall was complex as the system would be installed in a very reverberant environment and also needed to comply with heritage conservation considerations.
A measurement and listening test was performed in-situ with the shortlisted products to ensure that the performance of the products would perform as modelled. The short list of loudspeakers included column loudspeakers that blend into the architecture and provide beam steering. 
Measurements were carried including typical measurements such as frequency response as well as acoustic measurements such as clarity. The aim of these measurements was to show the directivity control of the different products by measuring the contribution of the direct sound compared to the reverberant sound.

King's Hall Acoustics

King's Hall is a space that links the two Chambers in the Parliament House. Presently, the room is used as a function space, presentation space and as a central space in everyday tours. The Hall remains, visually, as it was when listed as a heritage space. However, the natural acoustics of the space did not conduce to good acoustics for music or speech as the space was overly reverberant. As part of our work at the Museum, we designed acoustic treatment that blends with the architectural features of the space. Acoustic panels fabricated in the shape of wall features and to the same colour were installed along the walls of the Hall. This has reduced the reverberation time by one second in the mid frequency bands with minimal visual impact.

AV and hearing augmentation system

The installation involved designing systems for King's Hall as well as the two Chambers. One of the main drivers of the project was the inclusion of hearing augmentation for tour groups and visiting schools. We designed a solution based on a Williams Sound WiFi system and a Phonak system. This latter one of the most widely adopted hearing augmentation systems in schools. 
The AV system consisted of Fohhn loudspeakers. The Fohhn DLI-130 and DLI-230 models were used in the installation and their beam steering capabilities used extensively. Additionally, a projection system was designed and installed based on Panasonic projectors. The projection screens blend with the face of the chamber behind the Speaker's Chair until they are lowered for use.