Integrator The P.A. People discusses how it has helped Taronga Zoo deploy AV systems that meet the Zoo’s technology needs with a focus on a paging and evacuation upgrade aimed at providing total coverage.
Client retention should be a core aim for all AV integrators. The advantages for both parties are demonstrated at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia.
Brett Steele, manager for installed systems at
integrator The P.A. People, says: “We’ve been
working for Taronga Zoo for close to 20 years.
The beginnings of our association are ancient
history in a sense. I’ve personally worked with
the Zoo’s facilities department and its capital
works department for many years on a variety of
small and larger projects. Over the years, we’ve
won multiple tasks and have worked with them
to facilitate systems implementation as well as
servicing of the systems site-wide. ”
Long-term involvement with Taronga Zoo has
meant that The P.A. People has been able to assist
them to convert their functional requirements
into hardware and code that meets the Zoo’s
needs. This knowledge over time has also given
The P.A. People team a deep understanding of
the client’s requirements. Steele says: “The needs
of the Zoo are relatively static. They have a large
area broken into various emergency zones. These
are then broken down into much smaller zones
from an operational point of view.”
Steele explains the current project
implemented: “The scope of this AV installation
is a continuation of the Zoo’s long-term plan.
Taronga Zoo had areas that did not have audio
coverage and they wanted to improve the patron
experience. So this project was about filling in
the gaps so that the Zoo now has a more even
audio coverage across the whole site.”
Steele goes into further detail regarding the
necessity of expanded audio coverage: “The
need of talking to people is essential for a range
of reasons not the least of which would be the
unlikely event of an animal escape. It is a zoo
after all and it needs to have contingency plans.
Taronga Zoo is adjacent to a national park, so it
needs to be able to talk to people in the event
of a bushfire to move them out of harm’s way
if required. So primarily, the client needed full
coverage for evacuation and crowd control. The
P.A. People was responsible for filling in some
little gaps the Zoo might have had.”
Paging progress
To meet the audio needs of Taronga Zoo, The
P.A. People recommended Biamp Vocia. Ashley
Moors, AV systems engineer at The P.A. People,
provides further details: “Biamp Vocia forms
the basis of the audio system. There are more
than 70 Biamp devices installed at 30 locations
across the Zoo. There are racks, amplifiers and
expansion units coupled with over 300 speakers.
“Two kilometres of conduit have been installed
along with the Biamp equipment and we are
running more like 150 individual zones across
the whole system. But this can be thought of and
consolidated into 12 key areas.”
Key functionality for the upgraded paging
system was identified for the project. Moors says:
“For emergency paging and alarms, there is a
centralised system which has been consolidated
in particular areas. But the individual zones
themselves may only be performing simple
functions such as providing background music
along a path during the day. It can even be
nature sounds to provide further atmosphere for
visitors at the Zoo.”
Regarding the progression of the project,
Steele says: “We’ve done the upgrade in stages.
They originally had Biamp VO-4 units which were
not EN54 compliant. Last year, we upgraded
the existing VO-4s to VO-4e units to meet the
emergency standard requirements. At the same
time we’ve moved away from an old stand-alone
audio network to now distributing the system on
the Zoo’s new converged network. We’ve been
working with their IT department to make this
possible, without disruption to the day to day
activities.”
For output, a total of 230 Bose DS16 speakers
and 14 Bose DS40 speakers have been used.
Moors says: “Bose speakers have been mostly
mounted at ground level on custom brackets.
The client already has a combination of JBL and
Bosch speakers across the site. We have added to
the existing audio system and are replacing any
damaged speakers here and there as required.”
A total of 70 TOA CS154 horn speakers have
also been deployed. These are used for specific
spaces such as back-of-house areas, staff areas,
car parks and bigger open areas.
Steele explains the decision to choose different
speakers for different areas: “It was a matter of
choosing the right product for each space and
maintaining cost effectiveness.
The Zoo want to have audio,
particularly in areas where the
public is present, at a suitable
performance level, so for these
areas we have chosen the Bose
DS series. Where performance
levels did not need to be as
high, horn speakers were used,
for example in staff areas.”
Customer care
In addition to the paging and audio system,
AMX control has been deployed. Moors says:
“We are implementing some AMX control over
the emergency side of the system, so in the
security office and administration they have
an AMX touch panel which provides an overlay
of the entire site. They can then select an
area they wish to speak to and also can send
evacuation messages should the need arise.”
Moors continues and highlights the
reasoning behind the selection of both the
paging and control system: “Biamp has very
good protocols for communication with third
party devices. We’ve worked with Vocia in
the past and we have always used AMX to
interface with it, to provide a GUI or a touch
point for the client to access the system.”
Steele adds: “Rather than having the end user
go directly to the DSP and making changes to
the configuration files, the Zoo now has easy
access to its paging and evacuation system
with the AMX control system.”
Even though The P.A. People’s knowledge
of Taronga Zoo spans many years, this does
not imply that familiarity of the site translated
to ease. The project had its own challenges
and Steele says: “The sheer size of the facility
is a challenge and we also had to work around
the needs of the animals who take priority
here at the Zoo. Their needs must be taken
into account and if the keeper of a particular
animal or group of animals decides you
can’t work in their area on a particular day
then you don’t. It is as simple as that. If the
animal is having a bad day you have to go
find somewhere else to be. Re-scheduling is
simply a part of the dynamic of such a major
attraction; it is a ‘live’ site in a very literal
sense!”
The work for Taronga Zoo continues as
Steele details: “There are new areas under
construction for the future. The ‘Savannah’
is another area where the upgrade is just
commencing. The design task is now past and
the Zoo is just beginning to break ground.”
The P.A. People is also helping Taronga
Zoo explore new ways to deploy technology.
Steele says: “The client has recently added
a new theatre which is offering a different
experience for visitors. It is a large screen
cinema experience able to run a variety of films
to educate people about different animals and
how to protect their environment.”