ICE Design Australia, in partnership with Integrated Media, was commissioned by The Solomon Islands government and AUSAID to provide design, supply, installation and commissioning services for a new audio system in the Solomon Islands National Parliament. With its circular floor plan and a conical roof profile,, the debating chamber presented huge acoustic difficulties for speech intelligbility due to its strong sound-focussing properties. The solution was to use a small amount of acoustic treatment that was subtely implemented and highly directional beam-steered loudspeaker arrays. The use of bespoke loudspeakers designed by ICE Design allowed the system to address the acoustic issues with lowest possible cost.
Using an innovative rigging system designed in conjunction with the Parliament’s architect, the system was installed using a combination of Australian and local tradespeople and materials.
ICE Design also provided a robust, easy-to-use control system and a signal distribution network throughout the parliament for Hansard, CCTV and radio broadcast. The numerous islands that make up the Solomon Islands are often isolated from each other, making radio broadcast a critical element for the dissemination of information throughout the nation.