GUZ BOX design + audio is pleased to be associated with the recently completed mpowerdome tennis centre and multi-use sports facility located at Fadden, ACT.

This new sport and recreation facility is located within a large tension fabric structure covering 8 indoor tennis courts and a centrally located two-storey building containing reception, pro shop, amenities and a mezzanine café with viewing areas.

The building is approximately 156m long, 38 wide and up to 13m high and is the largest structure of its type in Australia. The pre-engineered Sporthall tension fabric structure was supplied and installed by Universal Fabric Structures and is manufactured from premium architectural PVC fabric.

The building is constructed of large extruded aluminium portal frames with tensioned PVC fabric infill to provide all-weather protection of the sports surfaces. The PVC fabric infill has been chosen to allow diffused sunlight during the day and also provides a reflective surface for illumination of sport surfaces from specialised light fittings during night time use.

GUZ BOX design + audio was engaged early in the construction process to provide an acoustic opinion to determine the suitability of the venue for speech and special events.

Preliminary acoustic modelling highlighted long reverberation times, particularly at speech frequencies, due to the highly reflective nature of the tension fabric linings and court surfaces.
Further modelling indicated that a specialised audio system solution was required to provide speech reinforcement, as the building design did not allow for installation of adequate absorptive materials to reduce reverberation times.

GUZ BOX design + audio designed a suitable sound reinforcement system to provide paging and high quality background music with direct coverage to each of the court areas. A multi-zoned paging system was installed to provide independent control to each of the 8 indoor tennis courts.

A total of 16 AT Professional LG04 compact full-range loudspeaker enclosures supply high quality audio throughout the facility (2 per court). The loudspeakers were supplied in a custom colour to match the structural portal frames of the mpowerdome Sporthall and are hung from custom manufactured brackets and beam clamps. These are powered by two Ecler MPA 4-400 multi-channel power amplifiers. Zone paging is provided through an Australian Monitor DigiPage Zone Mixer. The audio system is capable of being expanded to accommodate special events and future requirements.

Given the challenging acoustic environment, the installed system performs exceptionally well and provides excellent coverage to each of the court areas.

For more information, please contact GUZ BOX design + audio
t: 02 4227 3040
e: info@guzbox.com.au
w: www.guzbox.com.au

'Serve' image at top of page is with permission from Universal Fabric Structures.

© 2006 GUZ BOX design + audio

Click here to return to the home page