Established in 1859, the ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum in Aarhus, Denmark is the oldest public art museum in the country outside Copenhagen. The 17,700 square-meter building is cube-shaped and sliced through by a curved “museum street,” to which the public has access without an admission charge. Forming a logistical pivot, a spiral staircase punctuates the mid-point of the “street” and, on payment of an entrance fee, affords full access to the various galleries and facilities. In May 2011, the spectacular Your rainbow panorama opened atop the museum, consisting of a 150-meter-long and three-meter-wide glass circular walkway encompassing the entire color spectrum.
ARoS wanted to open a new wing of the museum, ARoS Public, to present art in a new and interactive way. The new wing would provide an innovative public forum for learning and interpretation, with the third floor dedicated to workshops, an artist-in-residence studio, a salon, an auditorium, and three digital stations: Blikfanger (the Eye Tracker), Portrætmaskinen (the Portrait Machine), and Kommentatorboksen (the Recording Booth). The space’s architecture would facilitate interaction and experimentation, with the design emulating the modern Scandinavian architecture of the other museum wings. But while aesthetically pleasing, the sleek surfaces of concrete and glass were sure to be an acoustical nightmare. A sound reinforcement solution was required.
SOLUTION
Jakob Bay Gydesen, ARoS’s Audio-Visual Coordinator, had heard that sound masking, the process of adding a subtle, airflow-like background specifically engineered to target human speech noise, might be a viable solution to the acoustical issues. The sound, introduced through loudspeakers installed in the ceiling, raises the ambient noise level of the space, making conversations over 4.5 meters away fade into the background.
Gydesen reached out to Claus Hansen from local acoustical consulting firm Ergoacoustic for a demonstration of the technology. Impressed with the results, Gydesen made sound masking a part of the new wing’s construction.
Ergoacoustic worked in concert with ARoS and the project’s architect to develop a system design that would be effective and mesh perfectly with the architectural vision for the space. Different zones were designated for the interactive exhibit area, salon, and corridor areas. Small, barely visible emitters (loudspeakers) were installed in the ceiling throughout the space. The emitters were connected by cables above the ceiling to a Qt® 300 control module rack mounted in a data closet.
CONCLUSION
ARoS Public opened in 2016 to rave reviews, with any potential acoustic issues eliminated at the source. “Despite all of the visitors interacting with the art and engaging in conversations, we haven’t really had any acoustical issues in the space,” Gydesen said. “Sound masking is definitely a big part of that – we’re very satisfied with the product.”
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
