The five-storey Kulturkvarteret Örebro (KKV Örebro) is focused on enriching the lives of children and young people in and around the Swedish municipality of Örebro through the arts, and is heavily used by students of the local Örebro University as well as public events. The centre encompasses the Örebro City Library, Kulturskolan, multiple stages, rehearsal spaces, and an art school specialising in music, dance and theatre, and an art gallery. As a leading provider of professional loudspeaker solutions, Genelec partnered with the integrator JML-System to elevate the audio experience at this prestigious new development.

Genelec and JML provided more than 80 4000 Series loudspeakers throughout the building, to complement a host of other smart audiovisual technology. The primary contractor was Swedish construction company, Network Cybernetics Corporation (NCC), who procured the various sub-contractors. The integration itself was carried out by JML, who collaborated with experts including architect Gert Wingårdh.

‘It’s important to remember we are in an educational environment where the rooms are in constant use – so component quality, which directly affects durability and reliability, was a massive consideration,’ explains JML Project Leader, Johan Ståhlgren. ‘Due to the cultural significance of the building to the local community, sustainability was a non-negotiable aspect of the project. Genelec excels in both these departments, making them a natural choice.

‘Genelec’s 4000 series was perfectly suited to this installation, with each of the four different models being ideal for the varying rooms,’ he continues. ‘All of them deliver exceptional performance, ensuring an immersive audio experience tailored to the specific needs of the varying room sizes and applications. The rooms range from large orchestral halls of 120sq-mto small studios that are no bigger than 15-16sq-m. Regardless of the size, Genelec’s active loudspeaker technology makes the 4000 series very easy to install as it removes the need for external amplifiers, thus conserving rack space and reducing cabling.

What’s more, Genelec’s signature aesthetic design looks every bit as good as it sounds, and each cabinet is available in 120 different RAL colours, making it easy to blend with any interior.

‘Due to its size, the 4010 is extremely versatile and can be integrated seamlessly anywhere,’ Ståhlgren says. ‘So, we opted for two of these in each of the smaller music rooms and conference rooms, while in the larger studios, conference rooms and rehearsal rooms, the 4020s made more sense – combining the same versatility and precision with a greater output. Six 4030s provide outstanding clarity and definition for the library area and one of the vocal studios, and finally, the large format 4040 model provides impressive power and dynamic range, making it perfect for the dance studios where robust sound with extended low frequency response is essential. We also specified four additional 8050 studio loudspeakers for the largest dance studio, which deliver power in abundance with a class-leading balance of extraordinary output, dynamic range, and transparent performance.

‘The flexibility of Genelec’s design proved to be invaluable in this case,’ Ståhlgren adds. ‘Considering the diverse disciplines and their distinct acoustic requirements in each room, the rear panel room compensation switches offer us significant control with just a flick of a switch during installation. This ensures that the loudspeakers are tailored to their environments, delivering pristine audio quality and saving us valuable time.

‘The project planning was well-organised, with regular meetings bringing together all disciplines every second week to assess progress and address challenges,’ highlights Ståhlgren. ‘Despite the time constraints between the completion of the building and the handover to end-users, the project was completed within the designated timeframe and budget. It’s been a tremendously fulfilling and captivating journey for all involved, and we eagerly anticipate witnessing how students and teachers will use and embrace the newly created space.’

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