Hurrairah bin Sohail explores the extensive PA/VA deployment at One Bangkok, Thailand and discovers how this critical system performs its crucial duties.
One Bangkok makes a strong case to be considered the most ambitious property development in the city. The multi-use complex comprises premium offices, luxury residences, retail, hotels, and cultural spaces spread across multiple towers including the planned Signature Tower, which will be the tallest building in Bangkok upon completion.
A vast variety of technology is required for the disparate buildings that comprise One Bangkok, but for the purpose of this case study we will be looking at the PA/VA system deployed by Vichai Trading 1983.
Patiyuth Gludnim from Vichai Trading 1983 discusses the early stages: “The project initially called for a traditional PA/VA system which was essentially an analogue design with simple volume controls. Bosch had already been selected and deployed as the solution of choice in certain areas, such as car parks and retail floors.”
Vichai Trading 1983 however saw an opportunity to deliver greater value for the client. Gludnim continues: “There are many advantages to going digital and when we introduced the idea of using Q-SYS for the PA/VA system, the owner immediately saw the benefits. With Q-SYS we could consolidate multiple systems into one networked platform. It meant flexibility, scalability, and significant cost savings. We believed that our solutions would be able to do more for less.”
Discussions with the client and the stakeholders revealed that going digital would help achieve the desired outcomes from the PA/VA system. Gludnim says: “Each building needed to have its own background music and announcement capabilities, and this is possible with both the analogue and digital routes. But the client also wanted to everything linked to a central command centre, the CUP. The reasoning behind this was that in the case of an emergency, like an earthquake, the CUP would be able to override the individual systems and broadcast across the entire estate. This kind of centralised control was very important for them.”
Vichai Trading 1983 deployed a digital, connected PA/VA and background music system across a total of 16 locations at One Bangkok which comprises two offices, three hotels, four retail spaces, and two condominiums.
The Q-SYS Core Nano DSP, with the requisite control licenses, that form the heart of the PA/VA system are connected to the ICT infrastructure at One Bangkok. Q-SYS PS-1600G paging stations are deployed for PA/VA activities. QSC CX-Q 2K4 power amplifiers are paired with TOA speakers to complete the audio system. Background music is provided via the Bmasia platform.
Numbers reveal the scale of the deployment with 2,262 TOA loudspeakers, 129 Q-SYS network amplifiers, 12 Q-SYS Core processors and 25 paging stations deployed. Gludnim details how the system functions: “Operators in each building can manage daily announcements, but the connection to the CUP provides system-wide visibility and authority. Being on the network means that effective monitoring becomes possible. If an amplifier fails or a speaker has an issue, operators can see it in real time. That kind of redundancy is only possible with a digital, networked system.”
Regarding the challenges faced during the course of the project, Gludnim says: “The complexity of the project came from its sheer scale. Each tower had different main contractors and packages, so coordination was difficult. The loudspeaker layouts were dictated by the consultants, and we had to work building by building, zone by zone.”
Ensuring that all the PA/VA systems worked as intended, and developing a customised GUI, was also a paramount concern for the integrator. Gludnim details: “Programming the system alone took around a year and a half and we had a dedicated programmer assigned to the tasks through this entire period.”
The efforts paid dividends as Gludnim elaborates: “You can schedule announcements, recall presets, or use the touchscreen GUI to visualise zones and control audio. With a touch interface you can see the live status of equipment, select levels, monitor zones, deploy background music, make emergency announcements, or schedule messages, just with a few taps. Even non-technical operators can look at the graphical interface and know exactly which areas are active. For such a massive site, this usability is vital.”
Networked AV inevitably raises questions about cybersecurity. Vichai Trading 1983 addressed these concerns in close collaboration with One Bangkok’s ICT team. Gludnim details: “Because this is such a critical system, security was paramount. The ICT team provided a dedicated VLAN exclusively for the PA/VA network. They manage access policies and ensure that only authorised users can operate the system. AV runs on its own subnet, and all credentials are handled centrally. This gave the owner full confidence.”
The PA/VA system has already been pressed into action once. The system was operational during the earthquake which hit Bangkok in March 2025. Gludnim says: “Each building was able to make announcements and manage evacuation. In light of the disaster, CUP is now planning to expand its override capabilities so that in the future, they can instantly broadcast to all towers at once.”
Vichai Trading 1983 is already looking towards the future and exploring avenues to make sure that the PA/VA system at One Bangkok is always ready to assist when needed. Gludnim concludes: “This is a living project, it is evolving as One Bangkok grows. Even though the system is already very advanced, there’s more to come. We are looking to implement Q-SYS Reflect in the next phase, giving remote access and monitoring across all buildings. With so many Cores and amplifiers deployed, Reflect will allow centralised management in a way that wasn’t possible before.”