08 Jun School sports hall gets a V-PRO loop

Contacta engineers have completed one of their largest phased-array loop layouts to date for a state-of-the-art sports facility at a school in Kingston-upon-Thames.

The new development at The Tiffin Girls School will be a multi-purpose sports centre offering space for badminton, netball, volleyball, basketball, indoor hockey and indoor cricket.

Assistive listening technology was needed to make learning within the space inclusive for students with hearing loss.

Our assessment of the space began in March 2022.  We were brought in by electrical contractors, MIB Electrical Engineers, who wanted a specialist company to advise on installing a hearing loop.

Our engineer carried out a test loop across several locations of the floor, measuring metal loss, EMI and frequency response, to decide on the best layout and the power needed.

The sheer size of the hall (763 sqm) meant measurements had to be recorded accurately.  Moving the test loop around the area ensured there will be no variation in signal strength. A phased-array layout was planned based on the data from the site survey, to give the best signal coverage across the space.

The flooring posed a challenge as the concrete surface needed to be thoroughly cleaned in order for the adhesive securing the copper loop tapes to be able to stick to the surface.  PVA then had to be applied across all the tape routes, followed by spray tack, to make sure the loop tape was secure ahead of a wooden floor being laid on top.

Despite the size of the space, the loop layout is powered by just one V34a PRO loop driver.

“We found that the loop only needed 4.6amps to reach spec and the V34a PRO was more than capable of doing the job,” said Field Engineer, James Graves.  “This is undoubtedly one of the largest phased-array layouts we’ve ever completed but we know it will produce a great result for students and visitors with hearing loss.”

The sports facility is due to be completed by the summer of 2022.