The Victoria & Albert Museum in London is a premier institution dedicated to the arts and design, showcasing a vast collection that spans 5,000 years of human creativity. Established in 1852, the museum celebrates artistic achievements from the rich tapestry of global cultures, emphasizing the evolution of design, fashion, and decorative arts.
Housed in an architecturally stunning complex, the Victoria & Albert Museum offers an array of spaces that exhibit everything from ancient artefacts to contemporary innovations. Visitors can explore numerous galleries that feature exhibitions on everything from Renaissance sculptures to 21st-century design, illustrating the dynamic dialogue between past and present artistic endeavours.
The Project
The recent upgrade at the Victoria & Albert Museum involved the installation of a state-of-the-art voice announcement system over a carefully managed ten-week period. The project required meticulous planning and execution, as the existing system needed to be removed and replaced without disrupting the daily operations of the museum. This was achieved by operating on a “rolling” basis, ensuring the museum remained fully accessible to the public throughout the process.
The complexity of the building’s layout meant that the new system’s components, consisting of nine networked VA racks, were installed across various concealed locations within the museum, including one historically intriguing spot previously used as a wine cellar in 1840. These racks now service nine distinct zones within the museum, each equipped with a fire microphone for local broadcasts in case of emergencies.
Centralized control is maintained through a BVR16M voice alarm controller/microphone located in the Control Room. This setup not only facilitates routine announcements across any or all zones but also prioritizes emergency communications during a crisis, overriding other signals as necessary. The system is also integrated with the museum’s fire alarm panels to provide real-time updates on safety status, enhancing the ability to respond swiftly in different scenarios.
The installation was expertly handled by Adrian Hill of Adrian Hill Electronics, under the direction of the Project Management Team from Honeywell Building Solutions. The work was performed during off-hours by Honeywell site engineer, Steve Jessup, and his team, who worked diligently every Sunday night to replace the system one rack at a time.
Edmund Fosbrook, the Senior Facilities Manager at the Victoria & Albert Museum, expressed his satisfaction with the project’s outcome, highlighting the importance of non-disruptive continuity for the museum. He praised the new system for its high quality, reliability, and the use of well-proven technology that met the museum’s long-term needs. The seamless execution of the project by Adrian Hill and the Honeywell team has been instrumental in enhancing the museum’s operational capabilities and visitor experience.
It was vital that the project ran smoothly – to have to close even 10% of the museum due to problems was simply not an option as far as we were concerned. Our prerequisite was for a system that offered quality, reliability, used well-proven technology and provided a long term solution. Baldwin Boxall’s system is exactly what was required and we are delighted with how well the project has come to fruition. Adrian Hill and Honeywell are to be commended running the project so seamlessly.
Benefits
- Non-disruptive installation
- Centralized control of announcements
- Enhanced emergency communication
- High reliability and quality
- Proven technology
PAVA System
- 9 x networked VA racks
- BVR16M voice alarm controller/microphone
- Fire microphones
- Desk mounted VA microphone
EVC system
- OmniCare EVC system
- 2 x Master Control Panels
- 52 Disabled Refuge Outstations
- 18 x Disabled Toilet Alarms
