Rio de Janiero, Brazil (July 9, 2014)—In preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the acoustic architecture firm Walters-Storyk Design Group contributed audio and video systems integration services for numerous stadiums used during the event.
At Belo Horizonte, Brazil’s Mineirão Stadium, WSDG helped revamp the audio/video system and the acoustics at the 49-year-old stadium in order to comply with FIFA standards (structural, evacuation, public address, security, seating, standing and related regulations). The renovation began in 2010 and included: acoustical treatments for all areas, a universal sound system covering the field, audience access and internal spaces, e.g. VIP rooms and offices.
WSDG’s European team also collaborated on the development of four 1,054-square-foot giant video all installations for Rio’s Maracanã Stadium. The largest video displays built for any 2014 World Cup Stadium, each of the three-story high screens is comprised of fifty individual (50”) LCD screens and weighs 11 tons (including custom-built mounting structures, access ramps and interior staircases to permit service).
Also in Brazil, WSDG is helping develop the acoustics, sound and video systems at Rio de Janiero’s Barra Olympic Park for the 2016 Olympics. The 1.18 million-square-meter complex will serve as Rio’s primary 2016 Olympic and Paralympics Games Competition Centre. The process involved electroacoustic and acoustic modeling studies, which determined multiple solutions for each specific sound system, with the goal to ensure speech intelligibility and SPL levels.
