Categories: Projects, Stadiums
Tags: Bosch

Netherlands theatre upgrades evacuation system to Bosch Praesensa

Orpheus theatre - Bosch solution

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One of the five largest theatres in the Netherlands, Theater & Concert Orpheus, has selected Bosch’s Praesensa for its new evacuation system.

The theatre has three halls with a seating capacity between 242 and 1,286 as well as an affiliated restaurant.

According to Bosch, the requirement was to upgrade the current solution to meet the necessary regulatory requirements for public buildings and ensure it received the required EN certification. As a smart-power concept and integrated redundancy, Praesensa works for both centralized and decentralized network topologies.

The main challenge for the theatre was the integration of the house PA and background music system with the voice evacuation system. The aim was for a solution that would give the theatre complete control over all of its Dante-based audio facilities from one interface. Achieving this aim relied on Praesensa’s built-in OMNEO networking architecture. OMNEO is an IP-based architectural approach to connecting devices to exchange information such as audio content and device control. It is able to integrate with Dante networks ensuring the voice evacuation system and the communications operate together.

Bosch notes that the evacuation system needed to be able to completely take over from the house PA and background music system in the event of an emergency, but also give sufficient flexibility on the background music channels when the system is in normal operation.

A 32-channel Dante matrix sits at the heart of the Bosch solution, allowing the user to manage the entire house system without affecting the Praesensa public address and voice evacuation system.

The switchover also needed to be done while the venue was operational. Connect AV BV – the systems integrator responsible for the project – was able install the new solution while also keeping the original solution working as a backup.

“The main deciding factor in this project was the requirement for IP-based linking,” said Henry Bax from Connect AV. “The evacuation alarm system also had to meet high audio quality standards, because the different zones and loudspeakers are also used for various activities in the venue… Due to the very good co-operation between all involved parties, the migration went very well, without hiccups. The goal of upgrading the evacuation alarm system to the latest regulations have been achieved, so that an inspection certificate could be issued.”

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