2020 Wrocław
The tourism industry in Poland has flourished over the recent years. Every year, Poles are increasingly keen to travel, and with the world-renowned Polish hospitality and interesting monuments, our country also becomes a frequent destination for foreign guests. As the interest in travelling grows, so does the demand for appropriate accommodation.
The Bridge Wrocław MGallery is the largest, exclusive hotel project completed in recent years in Wrocław. The hotel is comfortably sited in and blended with the historic Ostrów Tumski district. The project owner is Tacit Investment, an investor operating in the premium real estate market. In all its projects, the firm focuses on the highest quality proposition that will meet the expectations of the most discerning customers.
When designing audiovisual equipment for hotels, the key thing is always to choose the devices that will harmoniously fit with the interior design while delivering the expected functionality. In the case of The Bridge Hotel, which boasts a unique, memorable design and uses the services of renowned interior designers, this task was truly challenging. To raise the bar even higher, such materials as raw concrete and stone were used in interiors, which significantly limited the options for hiding connection cables.
Coordination of plans and specifications was another challenge. As we joined the design team later than other experts, we had only limited ceiling space to instal our devices so that they did not interfere with the previously designed elements of ventilation, air conditioning and lighting while ensuring the desired projection capability (appropriate projection distance) and aesthetics (symmetric placement of speakers). That required really careful planning and a great deal of specialist knowledge.
The ballroom is the heart of the conference part of The Bridge hotel. It is a large space that can be divided into three smaller conference rooms by mobile partition walls. For the ballroom we designed a flexible projection system to fit various room configurations, based on four high brightness Epson laser projectors. The projectors are mounted on ceiling recessed lifts, so they are concealed when not in use.
To enable signal transmission within the entire space of the ballroom, we implemented an image distribution system based on the Crestron Digital Media transmission standard. The solution ensures full signal matrixing, which means that the signal can be sent from any source to any display device – without delay and in high resolution.
To adapt the system to the various room configurations, we provided multiple connectivity solutions with wall and floor connections. Connected to them are properly equipped mobile lecterns custom-made by us especially for the hotel. The Crestron AirMedia wireless content sharing system also makes it possible to connect any mobile device from anywhere in the room. It can also project image from up to four devices simultaneously on one screen.
We implemented the sound system in the ballroom in the form of three zones consisting of high-class Crestron subwoofers and tweeters suspended from the ceiling. The system is complete with six sets of wireless microphones with handheld transmitters and Sennheiser gooseneck microphones equipped with anti-shock pads for speech amplification. By means of a DSP processor the sound parameters can be tuned to the characteristics of the space. Thanks to the Dante audio transmission standard and a mobile stagebox additional devices can be connected – signal sources or receivers – to facilitate larger events.
The large space offering such diverse functionalities requires an extensive but easy-to-use control system. We used Crestron for that purpose. In each part of the room, we installed a wall-mounted keyboard and a 7-inch touch panel. We also supplied one wireless panel for all rooms. All control devices are connected by an intuitive, harmonised user interface. We integrated the control system with the lighting system, so that the whole room could be managed using a single panel.
In addition to the ballroom, we provided projection, sound and control systems for two smaller conference rooms. We also created systems based on Sony 75” monitors in the training room and the management board room.
However, we did more for the The Bridge hotel than supplying conference equipment. In key spaces, we also created a background sound system, covering e.g. the SPA zone, the restaurant and the roof terrace affording a view of the Wrocław panorama, one of the main attractions of the hotel. In the foyer, we installed loudspeakers concealed behind a perforation above the wall of flowing water. In the massage rooms we placed Sony mobile sound systems.
AV systems in hotels need to combine a versatile functionality, flexible configuration and great attention to the visual aspect. Their design requires not only specialist knowledge, but also a deep visual sense. Our experience allows us to talk comfortably with interior designers and coordinate AV systems with other disciplines in the building, and thus create systems catering to all customer requirements. This is what we have created for The Bridge Wrocław MGallery – a system truly befitting a five-star hotel!