When faced with the unique proposition of outfitting an exclusive and premium clubhouse with AV systems, Nova Range stepped up to the plate. Hurrairah bin Sohail explores the installation at Hong Kong Jockey Club.
To elevate the experience for its patrons, Hong Kong Jockey Club established an extension to the clubhouse located at Shan Kwong Road, Happy Valley in Hong Kong. The 12-storey building features a range of facilities from food and beverage choices, leisure & entertainment options and even a six-lane, 50m long Olympic swimming pool.
These facilities required technology solutions and for this purpose Nova Range was appointed as the AV consultant while China Engineering served as the system integrator.
Sand Leung, managing director at Nova Range, talks about the scope of the project: “The Hong Kong Jockey Club clubhouse is composed of various mixed-use amenities to service the needs of the club membership for entertainment, dining, relaxation and events. Within the development there are areas requiring various audio and visual technology systems to support and enhance the experience of the members while using the clubhouse facility. Nova Range was the audio-visual consultant for this project, our principal designer Brandon Edwards and project manager Neil Cheng led our team to deliver the whole project from design to completion. We provided the design of AV systems based on the client’s requirement and expectation, and these systems were delivered through coordination with the architect and other consultants, to make sure the designs were implemented by the contractor.”
The end user had a clear idea regarding the outcome of the project, and this was communicated to the AV professionals. Leung elaborates: “The new extension clubhouse aims to improve the customer experience and operations from the existing clubhouse facilities. Through the audio, visual and central control system, together with the new concepts in dining, shopping and entertainment, the goal was to create an experience that was ‘best-in-class’ and unique for Jockey Club members.”
Viewing pleasure
We begin the examination of the AV deployment at the Hong Kong Jockey Club with display technology. To meet the ‘best-inclass’ standard requested by the client, LED displays of varying sizes have been employed to provide premium and high quality viewing experiences. Liantronics VL 1.9mm pixel pitch tiles with Creator processors were used to create these LED displays.
Leung talks about how the Liantronics LED displays made a tangible impact: “The top floor of the Hong Kong Jockey Club is a key highlight of the project. The cocktail bar has a fully functioning DJ booth with a 1.9mm pixel pitch, 3 million-pixel LED wall behind it. When the display is working with the moving head lights at the bar, the experience of the bar’s vitality is nothing less than the experience you would have at any famous nightclub in Hong Kong.”
It is important to highlight that Nova Range carefully specified displays that would help Hong Kong Jockey Club meet its aims and objectives. While LED walls were used for premium viewing experience, different technologies were selected for other spaces based on the requirements.
An example is the exercise studio at the gym.
Leung says: “At the exercise studio on the gym floor, there is a 32:9 fixed Draper Stage projection screen and two Panasonic PT-RZ660 projectors with ET-DLE 150 lens were installed. The video signal from the master coach bike is captured from the PC with Dataton Watchpax 4 units processing the image into 32:9 aspect ratio and then sending video to the projectors via Extron DTP HDMI 4K transceivers.”
The projection solution was selected with the usage of the studio in mind. The space features rows of stationary bikes and an immersive experience for those exercising was required which resulted in an 8m by 2.25m projected image.
In addition to the Dataton processor, an Extron media switch is also employed for this particular display solution. Extron switchers and transceivers are also used as part of the video system that delivers content. Leung explains: “Various video screens will have content distributed in order for guests to be able to view television programs, broadcast racing feeds, betting statistics and information feeds, as well as live camera feeds of the stage and so on. The video system has the matrix switching function to allow any display to be selected and fed with any available source to allow the flexibility of daily operation or on special event day.”
To allow the system signal to be passed through the entire building and to link the different spaces together, fibre infrastructure is used to connect the main data centre to the systems deployed on the different floors.
Audio on point
Just like the display solutions selected, the audio systems for the spaces at the Hong Kong Jockey Club by Nova Range have been chosen with careful consideration.
Leung says: “A centralised background music and paging system have been installed and music sources or content can be distributed to any area of the clubhouse as needed. We chose a QSC Q-Sys Core 510i unit to maintain the BGM distribution over Ethernet infrastructure from the main data centre to the whole building.”
A key consideration for this component of the project was ease of use. Nova Range ensured that the BGM system was simple yet effective. Leung details: “For general user control on a daily basis, for example operations such as source selection and volume control for different areas, a mix of small keypads and touchscreens from Crestron, together with a control system, have been adopted by the operation staff.”
For most of the spaces at the Hong Kong Jockey Club audio is provided by a selection of Sonance PS-C43RTLP ceiling speakers, QSC AD-S6T and AD-S4T box speakers. However, the choice of speakers deviates when the space in question required a little something extra. For example, d&b audiotechnik speakers, paired with D20 amplifiers, have been employed for special areas such as the cocktail bar, dining area and semi-private rooms.
There are two line array clusters of d&b audiotechnik Yi10P speakers and E15X subwoofer next to a performance stage, to provide focused sound to the area in front of the bar.
Areas outside the stage have been provisioned with smaller d&b audiotechnik 8S fill speakers and are zoned to allow the adjoining areas to be independently controlled for volume. To enhance the live performance operation, a combination of QSC Q-Sys DSP audio processors and standalone mixer consoles, Yamaha QL1, have been supplied.
Leung details: “The audio system has the ability to connect to the local d&b audiotechnik speakers from the central music system, local TV and video display or the live performance audio. The sound system in these areas provides high energy music and full frequency response with subwoofers for low frequency reinforcement. Each area is given discreet control of volume to allow the configuration from day to day operation or for a special high energy event.”
Finding the right audio mix for the different kinds of spaces was a challenge as Leung explains: “The design for speaker coverage for these areas was very critical as different zones have different functions and themes. For example, the bar aims to create a nightclub, live performance vibe, while the other venue serves Latin American cuisine and has its own music playlist. We tried our best to get a smooth transition between these two zones and give an immersive experience to the customers when they are inside.”
Switching to the karaoke rooms, Nova Range has once again selected speakers that suit the space. A range of Meyer Sound speakers provide audio output while Shure wireless microphones are used for audio input. Leung says: “A powerful Meyer Sound speaker system has been set up in each room to offer high power audio and quality but also with a decent outlook to match the interior design, which brings the sound experience to a new level no matter whether you are singing, listening to your own music, watching a movie, or having a fun party.”
You have control
From the perspective of operations, a key requirement of the Hong Kong Jockey Club was ease of use. This consideration is evident in the AV systems deployed.
Crestron Pro3 3-series sits at the heart of the control system and it is augmented with RMC3 units. Apple iPads serve as the input device. Leung details: “Each functional area and floor has its own Apple iPad installed with Crestron app for controlling the audio, video input selection and setting parameters. The control graphic user interface allows simple operation for the end users.”
It’s lit
As touched upon when discussing the video systems at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, special care has been taken with regards to the lighting. Martin Rush MH-1 and Rush Par2 zoom lights together with a GrandMa lighting Dot2 Node 4 unit are employed.
Leung says: “The GrandMa PC interface provides the connection point in the rear of the room for live lighting operation for special events. In addition it also allows for playback of defined show cue routines without the need of a lighting operator which gives the end user more flexibility on resources arrangement.”
To conclude, Leung says: “The Hong Kong Jockey Club was a very different project for us from the others. It’s a large scale and high-standard clubhouse facility which is very rare in Hong Kong which meant that we had to have a very unique approach to the project.”