Internationally renowned Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly’s latest masterpiece is one that does his native country of Uruguay proud: the new terminal at Carrasco International Airport, near Montevideo. A combination of Bosch Praesideo public address systems and an extensive distribution of Electro-Voice ceiling speakers provide a perfect balance of safety, sound quality and style at the airport, which is now ranked among the most technically and architecturally advanced in the world.

The main terminal building’s large, curved roof stretches 400 meters over the length of the facility, and uses acres of glass to both bring in natural light and emphasize the impressive scale of the structure, which has become a national symbol in Uruguay. As much attention to detail was given to the technologies at work inside the airport as to the building itself, and rising to the task with state-of-the-art mass notification and life safety communications systems from Bosch Public Address and Electro-Voice, both from the Bosch Security Systems family of pro audio brands.

A digital system for public address and emergency notification, Praesideo employs optical fiber for communication and offers interference-free audio along with a high level of redundancy. The system is fully programmable and compatible with other security systems, including fire detectors, warning and emergency systems. Simple to set up and modify either locally or remotely, a typical Praesideo system is designed in the form of a combination network cable and fiber ring.

“While this architectural environment is very easy on the eye, it is not so friendly from an acoustical perspective,” stated Juan Montoya of Bosch. “The software-based audio simulations and acoustic research confirmed the typical challenges posed by glass, granite and high reflective ceilings, where high levels of RT60 are the norm. We were able to select products that met these challenges exactly – both Bosch and EV have a very wide range of products for commercial audio applications like this. Bosch LBC3210/00 line arrays loudspeakers were perfect for counteracting this reverberation, and offer excellent directivity control for uniform coverage and intelligibility.”

“More than 1500 Electro-Voice loudspeakers, including EVID C8.2HC high ceiling models and EV 205 4” ceiling speakers, were installed – again, the ideal tools for the job,” Montoya continues. “The C8.2HC was designed for high-ceilinged spaces where poor acoustics can be offset by precise coverage and high-definition, full-bandwidth acoustical performance. The EVIDs provide sound quality that is closer to a full-sized loudspeaker than a typical ceiling speaker. It’s hard to see them up there as they blend in so well, but they can be heard loud and clear. The entire installation raises the bar for form and function in airport audio systems.”