A rousing celebration on 16th February marked the 50th anniversary of Singapore Polytechnic. Graced by S R Nathan, the President of the Republic of Singapore, and witnessed by some 1,200 guests, numbering amongst them ministers who also hail from the alma mater, the memorable event heralded in a new turning point for the Polytechnic with the slogan “Opening minds, Shaping lives”.

The setting of the scene for this major event in Singapore’s pioneer polytechnic is the Plaza and Convention Centre, a new shiny steel-and-glass structure with gently curved roof and sides, standing proud as the focus point of the institute for on-campus major events. The extensive re-development of the campus which started around the turn of the millenium is a reflection of Singapore Polytechnic’s shift in it’s teaching pedagogy and the institutional change which embraces nurturing students with an adaptive outlook and skills for the future. Incumbent system’s integrator, Electro-Acoustics Systems Pte Ltd having played a major role in equipping and upgrading the polytechnic’s media classroom campus-wide clinched the award for the supply and installation of AV and Lighting for the Plaza and Convention Centre.

Housed within the Convention Centre lies a cavernous 1,200-seat auditorium and a 800 sq m exhibition hall. Putting together an audio system for this multi-function center proved a challenge in dealing with issues of acoustics cover and audio fidelity. After careful evaluation of various makes, the best candidate fulfilling the requirement rested on the Renkus Heinz TRX speakers, which ultimately assumed the responsibility of the main frontal speaker system. 10sets of TRX 151T9 loudspeakers and 4pieces of CDT500 horns provided the main audio output in the frontal, supplementary and side clusters. Designed based on the True Array Principle, the 15” speakers maximize a cluster coverage in it’s tight pattern control, thereby eliminating interference between adjacent horns. The end result is a production of audio perceived from a single source sound even in large array configurations.

Mounted fore of the auditorium, the proscenium held a central cluster of 4units of TRX151T9 speakers driven by the CDT500 series horns, while the side clusters held 3units of speakers. These horns feature a complex conic wave guide technology, combining the best features of constant beamwidth and oval horn design into a complex wave guide that produces a superior pattern control at higher frequencies. Deploying the CDT500 thus smoothed the harshness associated with regular horns to produce a more natural sound.

Selecting the bass proved to be a task to eliminate any excessive resonance that may be picked up in the hall. After several rounds of rigorous tests, the CELF152K subwoofer won the selection with it’s controlled bass. Separately mounted in it’s own individually tuned and vented chamber within the overall cabinet gives the speaker flexibility to operate together in conventional systems, or assume an independent operation in an Array construct. In the Singapore Poly configuration, a total of 4units of CELF152K were used to provide the low frequency energy for the system. As for the stage front field, Tannoy i5AW speakers were selected due to their compact size and power handling.

Executing the installation of the video system proved no mean feat. Taking into consideration the vast expanse and depth of the auditorium, it was clear from the start that a single projection image at the fore end of the auditorium would not be adequate for the 1,200 seated audience. To circumvent the issue, a main projection system was situated in the front and a supplementary system designated at the mid-hall section. The main system comprises of a 5x3.75m rear projection Stewartfilm screen and 1 set of Sanyo PLCX-F40 7,600ANSI lumens projectors. While setting up of the main system progressed smoothly, the implementing of the supplementary projection systems was not without challenges.

The mid-hall projection system which comprised of 2x Stewart 4x3m rear projection screens and 2x 5,000 ANSI lumens Sony VPL-FX50E projectors formed the most challenging aspect of the implementation. Housed in a metal frame structure designed by Trooper Visual Structures, the first task to confront after hoisting up the equipment was the angling of the steel structures amidst the ceiling works. The structures had also to be finely adjusted to cater to the optimum viewing angle of the audience. This task in balancing the symmetry of the 2 systems called upon the skills and vast experience of the implementation team.

Hence, after months of hard work, the final pay-of culminated in the smooth opening of Singapore Polytechnic’s 50th Anniversary getting off to it’s rousing start. Electro-Acoustics Systems is proud to have been a technology partner in association with yet another successful transition of an educational institution towards its vision for the future.