Case StudyGreenwood Plaza, North Sydney, Australia

At the onset of 2014, Ray Marsh, Senior Engineering

& Operations Manager from Mirvac was called upon

to tender a new sound system for Greenwood Plaza,

North Sydney CBD’s high profile shopping centre.

The sound system was required to enhance the ambience

of the Plaza across seven major zones in conjunction to new

ceilings and lighting, as part of a major refurbishment project

designed to keep up with the expanding business hub.

Strategically located in the centre of the state’s second

largest CBD, it comes to no surprise that the Plaza boasts a

high pedestrian traffic of approximately 18 million people per

annum and is the preferred lunch spot for the surrounding

office workers.

After careful consideration of the range of sound equipment

available, Bosch was chosen to provide the complete audio

solution for Greenwood Plaza. “We selected Bosch due to

their reputation and industry recommendations”, Mr. Marsh

explained.

Following initial introductions Jason Hatswell, Sales Channel

Manager of Bosch Communications, investigated Greenwood

Bosch’s PLENA Matrix to distributesound to 18 million people each year

Plaza through a site visit which enabled him to determine

which Bosch products would best satisfy the acoustic

requirements, budget range and layout of the Plaza.

The final design consisted of Bosch LBC flush-mount ceiling

speakers spread across low ceiling areas, combined with

LB2 cabinet loudspeakers and LS1 pendant spheres for the

towering atrium areas. In addition, three 8 Zone Call Stations

for PA announcements were supplied.

The varied centre levels and ceiling heights throughout the

Plaza posed as a design challenge, however, the mixture of

these loudspeakers has the ability to provide quality BGM

reproduction as well as intelligible paging capabilities.

Despite more than 160 loudspeakers being spread around the

Plaza in total, the appearance and white-colour finish enables

the loudspeakers to be unobtrusive throughout the interior,

which maintains the architectural aesthetic.

Situated at the heart of the sound system design is a Bosch

PLENA matrix 8 Channel DSP Matrix Mixer, which enables

Greenwood Plaza staff members to have complete control

over audio configuration in up to eight different zones. Users

can mix and select inputs whilst controlling output levels

through an iPad or iPhone, thanks to the innovative GUI.

“The unique acoustic conditions of the centre with the varying

ceiling heights and finishes highlight the flexibility of the

PLENA matrix unit for the zoning and audio distribution,”

commented Mr. Hatswell.

Dining atrium with Bosch LS1 Pendant Spheres.

The glass skylight provides Greenwood with natural light and supports the invisible Bosch LS1 Pendant Spheres.

Three PLENA matrix call stations are spread across two food

courts and the management office enabling announcements

across the plaza’s multiple zones. Additionally an EV R300

Wireless Microphone System is used for marketing and

promotional events taking place at the shopping centre.

Sufficient product and layout information was provided

by Bosch, enabling Mirvac to produce a coherent tender

document which was distributed to recommended installation

contractors. Subsequent to reviewing tenders, Clare

Communications were awarded the project of installing

and commissioning the new Bosch sound system. “The

installation throughout the property was challenging due to

the many different ceiling configurations and centre levels but

was carried out in a professional and workmanship manner

without disruption to the centre and its visitors,” stated Mr.

Marsh.

The new sound system has assisted in recreating Greenwood

Plaza into a more ambient centre, by uniting the different

zones thanks to evenly distributed BGM controlled by the

PLENA matrix. The installation was completed recently and

everyone involved in the project was impressed with the final

results. Mr. Marsh concluded, “We were very happy with the

professional quality of the project.”

Outdoor dining areas, an office tower and the popular after-work drinks venue, the Greenwood Hotel, are all part of the complex, contributing to the high pedestrian traffic.

PLENA matrix DSP unit (top) and two PLENA matrix amplifiersdrive the sound distribution throughout the Plaza.Dining atrium with Bosch LS1 Pendant Spheres.

The glass skylight provides Greenwood with natural light and supports the invisible Bosch LS1 Pendant Spheres.

Systems Integrator:

Clare Communications

49/45 Huntley St,

Alexandria NSW 2015, Australia

www.clarecom.com.au

Ph: +61 2 9519 4443

Customer:

Mirvac

Level 26, 60 Margaret St,

Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

www.mirvac.com

Ph: +61 2 9080 8000

End User:

Greenwood Plaza

36 Blue St,

North Sydney NSW 2060, Australia

www.greenwoodplaza.com.au

Ph: +61 2 9923 0700

Supplier:

Bosch Communications Systems

Suite 1, Level 2, 21 Solent Circuit,

Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153

Ph: 1300 0 BOSCH (26724)

www.boschcommunications.com.au

Equipment:1 x PLM-8M8 8 Channel DSP Matrix Mixer

1 x PLM-4P220 4 Channel DSP 220W Amplifier

1 x PLM-4P125 4 Channel DSP 125W Amplifier

3 x PLM-8CS 8 Zone Call Station

90 x CEILING SPEAKER 6W WHITE

60 x SURFACE MOUNT BOX WHITE Speakers

6 x LB2-UC15-D 15 W cabinet loudspeaker

9 x LS1-UC20E-1 20 W Pendant Sphere

1 x R300 Wireless Mic System

Section of the food court featuring Bosch LBC ceiling speakers.