Doha, Qatar | September, 2014 - Hamad International Airport covers nearly a third of the city of Doha, with more than half of the airport's. 29 sq km (11 sq miles) reclaimed from the Persian Gulf. Its state-of-the-art passenger and cargo facilities will serve more than 30 million passengers and 1.4m tons of freight per year.

Technology for the airport is equally impressive, including an RFID baggage handling system, high-tech air traffic control and radar systems, and a cutting-edge public address system based around Renkus-Heinz ICONYX digitally steerable line array loudspeaker systems.

The system includes 208 IC8-R, 30 IC16-R, five IC24-R, and two IC32-R loudspeaker columns, all networked to provide individual control of each individual unit. Strikingly, not a single one of the 245 speaker columns installed throughout the facility is visible to the naked eye.

"All the loudspeakers are hidden," explains Renkus-Heinz Middle East Sales Manager Norbert Bau. "They have all been flush mounted and concealed behind grilles, or they have been integrated into custom-designed stainless steel pillars. It's an architecturally stunning facility and the best Iconyx installation I've ever seen."

Much of the credit for this impressive installation goes to the contractors, Consolidated Engineering Systems Co (CESCO), and subcontractors H. Robert Guild Associates, Inc (HRGA). "The system was designed by Acoustic Design Ahnert (ADA Gulf), and the entire installation was performed by CESCO, who brought in Robert Guild of HRGA to provide the experience and expertise for this very high-profile project," Bau observes. The project also included a massive IED announcement control system and thousands of small ceiling speakers for the voice alarm system. Testing and commissioning the system was performed by HRGA, with support from Renkus-Heinz application engineers. 

While the project has not been without its challenges, Bau points to good planning as an indispensible factor. "The design of the sound system was seriously considered when designing the airport. And ADA Gulf convinced the architect to apply acoustic treatment so the acoustic conditions are very good – it sounds very dry."

Since opening its doors to passengers, Hamad International Airport is quickly becoming an international hub, providing the air travel capacity the city of Doha has been sorely needing, with a sound system that will clearly and intelligibly serve millions of passengers for years to come. As Norbert Bau concludes, "it is an impressive system for a very impressive airport."