Direct Acoustics abroad! The Zone Array comes to Ibiza.
Ibiza.
A magical summer playground in the Balearics.
Famous for relaxation and exuberance in equal measure, holiday makers flock here for yoga and meditation in tranquil surroundings, combined with partying and dancing until dawn.
And striking that balance was exactly what our customer was looking for.
Owning a beautiful peaceful villa in the north east of the island, our customer envisaged an elegant tipi in their grounds, designed to host parties throughout the summer, without disturbing the wildlife, neighbours and anyone who had decided to leave the party early.
Challenge
A party tipi in a residential area, with nearby (50m) neighbours. Tipis are also not suitable for our acoustic linings as the shape is conical (amplifying the sound) and the sides are always left open.
Solution
A specially designed lightweight 36x Panel Zone Array suspended via adjustable steel wires and finished in Khaki to maintain the traditional tipi aesthetics.
Results
Envy of the neighbourhood! Exclusive private parties can be held regularly whilst respecting the surrounding properties.
Initial brief
Our customer approached Direct Acoustics back in 2021 as they had a plan to install a party tipi in the grounds of their idyllic villa in Ibiza. They wanted to be able to host late night parties in the tipi, without disturbing the neighbours or compromising on the quality of sound.
The added difficulty with Tipis is the lack of rigging points and the conical shape actually amplifies sound, so conventional speaker systems are not appropriate.
Design and solution
Our team of acoustic engineers proposed a lightweight 36x panel Zone Array Directional Speaker system, specifically designed to meet the weight loading capacity of the structure. Traditional fixing options weren’t available, but luckily our extensive design work with Tentipi means we already had a suspension solution at hand.
We designed a bespoke khaki aluminium frame, with a steel rigging rose, suspended from the centre of the tipis structural poles. From the rigging rose, our engineers attach steel wire down to loading points within the frame. Adjustable wire eyelets are then used to balance the system’s weight, allowing it to float within the structure and maintaining the tipis aesthetics. To finish it off we proposed a khaki finish to each Zone Array panel to complement the Kata Tipi canvas.
Installati0n
In spring of 2022, Seb, Rich and Jamie were ready to make the arduous journey to sunny Ibiza to install our customer’s bespoke Kata Tipi & Zone Array speaker system.
This did include some pre-planning on how to ensure the equipment’s safe shipping, appropriate ground fixing to the purpose built bamboo decking and the ability to erect the structure without a 6m ladder… though all went without a hitch and they even managed to checkout the local scenery before heading home!