Historic Buildings Get Immersive Upgrades at University of Greenwich

Natick, MA (February 4, 2025)—London’s University of Greenwich has unveiled a new £1 million facility dedicated to advancing multichannel sound composition, immersive audio and visual performance that features a 32.4 spherical array of Genelec Smart Active Monitors.

At the heart of the new Immersive Sound Lab at the Shared Hub for Immersive Future Technologies (SHIFT) at the Old Royal Naval College is a spherical array of 32 Genelec 8331 three-way monitors and four 7350 subwoofers. Calibrated using GLM software, the system supports high-resolution ambisonic recordings and formats including Atmos, DTS:X and Auro 3D.

According to Andrew Knight-Hill, professor of music and sound arts at the university, “There was only ever one choice for our new Immersive Lab. The spatial clarity and accuracy of Genelec’s point source design deliver unmatched immersive experiences.”

Complementing the lab is the Digital Immersive Theatre, housed a few miles up the road in the historic Victorian swimming baths of Woolwich Bathway. This 200-person capacity venue features a fixed 28.2 Genelec audio system comprising 8030s, 8050s, 8350s and 7382 subwoofers that can expand to a 40.2 configuration, depending on the project. Combining immersive 360-degree projection mapping, surround sound and dynamic lighting infrastructure, the theatre enables a wide range of performances, including those developed in the Immersive Sound Lab.

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The historic buildings housing the facilities posed challenges, but innovative infrastructure work by Stage Electrics and the audio expertise of HHB Communications preserved heritage while meeting technical demands. “Every step of the project was guided by close consultation with heritage specialists and the university team to maintain balance between preservation and technological advancement,” comments Saul Eagles, business development manager at Stage Electrics.

Knight-Hill remarks, “SHIFT has fostered a real sense of diversity and allows us to work with a vast array of musical styles. With the Immersive Sound Lab, there’s something very special about the focus and clarity of the soundfield in the sphere. The coherence and integrity of the spherical array with its coaxial monitors allows you to stand outside it, and yet still hear material inside the ‘bubble’—the imaging doesn’t collapse.”

Knight-Hill says his team’s plans for 2025 include a series of Loudspeaker Orchestra events and a focus on making incremental improvements now that SHIFT is fully established.