Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 boasts an immersive experience – two installations recreating the wonders of Singapore’s natural environment. Named Digital Sky and Wonderfall, these were created by multimedia studio Moment Factory in collaboration with the design studio Boiffils Architectures. Their implementation fell to systems integrators Electronics & Engineering (Wonderfall) and Electro-Acoustics Systems (Digital Sky). Moment Factory also designed the soundscape of both installations, and a K-array system was chosen for their sound delivery.

‘For our third collaboration with Changi Airport Group, the trust already established with the client allowed us to push the envelope, both creatively and technically,’ explains Moment Factory Creative Director, Fady Atallah. ‘Travellers can immerse themselves in Singapore’s nature with two unique experiences – an awe-inspiring moment at the Wonderfall and a surprising pause under the digital sky in the Dreamscape.’

For Digital Sky, an LED installation above the airport’s airside, Dreamscape Garden wanted a natural soundscape. This is procedurally generative, meaning that instead of arranging the soundscape on a timeline, it is generated in Audiokinetic Wwise software using a weighted randomised algorithm. The sound can be modified by changing certain parameters and values in real time to trigger changes in the density and mix of all its layers. These parameters can also be controlled via an Unreal Engine capsule in response to the time of day and the present local weather conditions.

The Wonderfall is a landmark feature of the Terminal 2 Departure Hall. Here, waterfall imagery is displayed on a four-storey-high, 34.4-megapixel LED wall, interspersed with animations and recreations of ocean waves that stop busy travellers in their tracks.

While clearly with a visual focus, both installations required sound systems that would blend into the space while providing high-quality soundscapes. The K-array solution allowed the integrators to install the loudspeakers with minimal disruption to the installation design. Further, both the Wonderfall and Digital Sky are set among real-world vegetation, so K-array’s IP64-certification protects theloudspeakers in the presence of water and humidity.

The Wonderfall required considerable audio reinforcement as, between ambient interludes, the LED screen displays a three-and-a-half-minute show consisting of an immersive waterfall animation set to a piano composition by Jean-Michel Blais. Here, the systems integrators opted for a system based around K-array’s Vyper series loudspeakers.

Nineteen Vypers are supported by two equally slimline Kobra line array elements and four mid-size Domino speakers. The addition of 4m-long Python loudspeakers, each with 12 closely spaced 3.15-inch neodymium magnet woofers, ensures maximum throw and reproduction of the entire vocal range. These loudspeakers are mounted on the surrounding living wall of foliage to ensure minimal visual distraction.

Four Rumble subwoofers take care of the low-end from beneath the wall, while a 16m hang of Anakonda loudspeakers provide a wall of audio around the bottom of the LED wall.

The system is driven by five K-array Kommander KA84 amplifiers, providing powerful DSP and integration with the QSC control system.

Airside, the Digital Sky at Changi Airport’s Dreamscape uses K-array Vyper, Kobra and Domino loudspeakers – 19 Vypers supported by six Kobra and eight Domino loudspeakers. Audio playback across the Dreamscape and the Wonderfall is handled via Delta Media Server Infinity by 7th Sense.

‘By installing the loudspeakers on the ceiling, balcony and hidden in the vertical garden structures, we could localise the sound of individual birds and wildlife in space,’ says Joseph Browne, Interactive Sound Designer at Moment Factory. ‘This effect was achieved by using the spatial audio tools in Wwise, as well as driven by the location of actors in Unreal Engine. For example, if an eagle flies overhead on the Digital Sky, this triggers a corresponding sound effect in the correct location in the garden sound system.’

The placement of the K-array loudspeakers to create an immersive experience in the Dreamscape Garden is demonstrated every 30 minutes in a show that brings the space to life through a three-dimensional orchestral soundscape using all 33 loudspeakers. The sound system allows the individual instruments to be mixed to different locations in the room – while cellos and strings play from the ceiling, a piano melody comes from the balconies, with mandolin from the garden loudspeakers, literally surrounding passengers with music.

‘By blending a dynamic soundscape with visual content, we’ve created a harmonious environment that immerses guests in the Garden City’s natural beauty, Atallah says. ‘At Changi Airport, travellers can enjoy moments of true tranquillity and wonder in the midst of one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs.’