Renkus-Heinz ICONYX systems have been specified to provide optimal coverage and intelligibility at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Previously, university officials had often brought in portable systems to supplement or replace the main system, but coverage was still poor.
Founded in 1865, Worcester Polytechnic Institute was one of the first engineering and technology universities in the United States. The university’s Alden Hall regularly hosts a wide range of performances and programmes, from lectures to concerts and theatrical productions. As Richard O’Connell of Boston-based AV Design Build explained, the 10,000sqft multi-purpose venue employs different seating arrangements, depending on the event:. “It’s a rectangular room with a stage in front and balcony in the rear. For concerts and theatrical events, seats are set up facing the stage. For lectures and smaller presentations, seats are set up facing the long wall stage right, and they set up a podium.”
With this in mind, AV Design Build recommended Renkus-Heinz ICONYX systems to provide optimal coverage and intelligibility, regardless of the scheduled event. A pair of ICONYX IC32 digitally steerable line arrays is installed left and right of the stage for larger events, seamlessly covering the floor and balcony areas. “With the IC32s, we were able to create a beam and point it right at the balcony, without hitting the back wall,” O’Connell observed. “We used seven beams on the IC32s, and that was all that was needed to address the room’s intelligibility and coverage issues.”
For the hall’s lecture and spoken word programs, a pair of ICONYX IC8-R-II columns are mounted on the wall stage right, to each side of the podium. “The IC8s are perfect for lectures and presentations,” said O’Connell. “They provided the intelligibility and coverage we needed for a smaller, more intimate setting.”
“The ICONYX systems allowed us to address the university’s multiple uses for the hall,” O’Connell concluded. “The music faculty is particularly happy because they often present concerts with stringed instruments, from small large ensembles. Now you can hear the instruments clearly, from every seat in the house.”
