CUNNINGHAM PIER

Modern Function Venue-Cunningham Pier

Cunningham Pier is one of the best locations in Geelong with panoramic views of Corio Bay. An Events Management Company is now the proprietor of the building at the end of the pier, renovating the previous Smorgys Restaurant to include a restaurant and café in addition to the newly developed conference and event facility.

The Audio Visual System to be implemented by InSight Systems was designed by WSP Lincoln Scott. The Events Management Company wanted an AV System installed to act as the base system for connecting AV peripheral devices for visiting presenters and guests, whilst also providing consistent high quality audio and video to their facilities.

In order to achieve this base system, full cabling infrastructure was undertaken by InSight Systems. When installing the Belden Cabling Infrastructure, InSight had to work delicately around a 100mm plastic pipe system. A pulley system has now been installed in the pipe system in order for any new cabling to easily connect from one floor trap to the next.

The building consists of six main areas that received unique AV Systems all connecting to a central processor. The Central Control Rack includes audio patching, amplifiers, CD Players, DSP and 3x 45 RU Equipment Racks creating various control features and audio and video sources for the entire building.

Function Room

The function room overlooks Corio Bay with 180 degree panoramic views and has two operable walls so it can be divided into east and west multi-function areas. A high end audio system was installed that included  Biamp Digital Signal Processors, amplifiers and ceiling mounted speakers. Adhering to building code regulations a Hearing Augmentation System (Hearing Loop) was also installed to cater for those with hearing disabilities. To provide a modern environment Shure Radio Microphones and Lectrum Lecterns were included in the function room’s set-up along with an AMX touch panel control system.

External Deck

The External Deck is a glassed off outdoor area, adjacent to the function room.  A high-end audio system was installed to provide guests with ambient music and PA capability.  Because the area is outdoors, the audio system needed to include equipment with a specific Ingress Protection (IP) Rating.  The IP Rating system is an international classification system for the sealing effectiveness of enclosures of electrical equipment against the intrusion of moisture and foreign bodies (i.e. tools, dust, fingers). The InSight Team designed an IP65 floor box empowering it with a high level of protection against the elements.

In addition the glass structure provided acoustic challenges with unwanted sounds that can interfere with the audio signal, such as ventilation equipment, traffic, crowds, reverberation and echoes.  A Speech Reinforcement System was implemented to ensure the audio output was delivered to listeners with sufficient clarity.

Business Area/Private Function Room

This area also has an operable wall for division into smaller multi-function areas and was designed for meetings, private dinners and bridal room. For easy overall management of AV devices, an AMX Keypad was installed to provide control over the Panasonic  65” Plasma (power, channel selection, video input), a selection of audio/video sources, HD Set Top Box, volume control, system start up/shut down, occupancy sensing, power control of devices and control of motorized blinds.

Pre-Function Area, Restaurant and Bar

High Quality Audio Systems were also installed in the pre-function area, restaurant and bar. The bar had the inclusion of a wall mounted DSP Interface with DJ Inputs for a wider variety of audio functionality.

This impressive multi-functional venue boasts an equally impressive AV system to cater for a wide range of events and functionality. Featuring a remote access this system can be monitored, adjusted and have maintenance preformed while off-site. This gives the clients peace-of-mind knowing that their business will continue to operate smoothly years in the future.

Due to the size of the project, scheduling around the other trades and the inherent difficulties when working on the end of Pier, this job really showed the strength of our Project Management team. Without their expertise and hands-on approach it would not have been possible to complete this impressive project on-time, on-budget and exceeding the expectation of the clients.