When Shanghai Tower saw completion last year, the new skyscraper immediately became more than a landmark. Twisting high above China’s biggest city, it is the tallest tower in the country – and the second highest building on earth. But Shanghai Tower is just as impressive from the inside as it is from the outside. One of its highlights is the world’s highest concert and culture space more than 600 meters above ground. Find out how Barco’s IOSONO sound system creates the unique acoustics for an extraordinary location.
Music for the skies
On 126th floor the highest arts space on earth offers its visitors an exceptional acoustic experience. The IOSONO system has been installed in Shanghai Tower by Barco’s Chinese 3D sound distributor Full Dimension to create a holographic sound image, letting visitors truly dive into the musical experience. Grammy Award winning composer and creative advisor of Full Dimension, Simon Franglen created a special soundtrack that lets listeners experience a tale of Shanghai. The piece was inspired by the architecture of the tower as Franglen explains. "When you look at the skyscraper, it doesn't look like any other skyscraper in the world. It looks like it grows from the ground, rather than being stamped on the ground like many skyscrapers do. I wanted to write a piece of music that felt like it grew," he says.
An exceptional setup makes sound tangible
Barco’s IOSONO CORE audio processor and 260 speakers from Fohhn’s Airea series have been installed in the venue. The speakers span over three layers in a setup that has been custom designed by Full Dimension to follow the room architecture. The sound system allows composers to actually place the music inside the space. "If I want to put a bell in front of your face, I can. What I've done is written a piece of music that allows you to walk around inside it,” says Franglen, who is best known for his work on Hollywood soundtracks like "Avatar" and "Titanic". Franglen’s symphony, which has been performed by four orchestras and a choir, plays in different lengths depending on the occasion. Additional 3D sound compositions have been created by international artists, including Lukas Taido (Germany) and Markus Pöchinger (Soundtrack Unlimited, Austria).
A new cultural space emerges
The culture space also features a viewing gallery and will be home to many cultural events in the tower. The venue will open to the public later this year. Barco’s Chinese reseller Full Dimension has installed the IOSONO system. The Barco Audio Technologies team has further provided acoustical consulting and planning services to Shanghai Tower throughout the last two years.
About Full Dimension
Full Dimension is a full-service audio company which includes acoustical and electronic design, audio equipment manufacturing, system integration, and project management that include small to extremely large and complex projects. The focus at Full Dimension is in high quality design that is guided by music appreciation. This is demonstrated by the fact that the founder and many of the key employees all have degrees or large experience in music and media production.
