Genelec brings sound quality and sustainability to the Embassy of Finland in Tokyo data-src=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c562aaf4-bpthumb.jpg data-srcset=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c561c0e7-bpfull.jpg 2x class=lazyload avatar avatar-80 photo height=80 width=80 />
Brie Clayton February 18, 2021
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The Finnish Embassy in Japan is located in the chic, cosmopolitan district of Azabu in Tokyo. The area has a distinctly global feel, due in part to the large number of foreign embassies that have chosen to make Azabu their home. The Finnish Embassy has recently renovated part of its buildings to bring them up to the modern standards that are representative of the best that Finland has to offer. A Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker solution was installed as part of the project, to ensure that the technology matched the exacting standards of the rest of the renovation.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195037/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_1_1200-1024x683.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2404147 data-srcset=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195037/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_1_1200-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195037/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_1_1200-300x200.jpg 300w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195037/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_1_1200-768x512.jpg 768w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195037/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_1_1200-624x416.jpg 624w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195037/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_1_1200.jpg 1200w data-sizes=(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px />Mikke Kinnari, Vice Consul and 3rd Secretary of Administrative Affairs at the Embassy, was in charge of the renovation project. We wanted the best possible experience for our guests, ideally using Finnish products, he explains. Having studied several options from a variety of suppliers, we decided that the Genelec Smart IP solution, with its easy, single-cable installation and extremely high-quality audio, offered the best possible solution for our requirements.
The buildings of the Finnish Embassy - like many in Japan - are constructed with very thick reinforced concrete in order to withstand the earthquakes that are common in the region. Kinnari reveals that the impracticability of drilling any more holes than necessary in order to run cables was a major factor in the decision to adopt a Smart IP solution, which delivers audio, power and loudspeaker management over a single CAT cable. However, he points out that this wasn't the only criteria:
The physical elegance of the solution was also important because we have a lot of very high-level visitors here - we have received the Imperial family of Japan, the President of Finland, and many other ministerial and high level visits. The elegance of the room, with beautiful Finnish furnishings that project the image of Finland, was important. The Genelec speakers are very aesthetic in their own right, and the fact that we could totally hide the cabling contributes to the high class feel of the space.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195052/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_3_1200-1024x683.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2404148 data-srcset=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195052/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_3_1200-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195052/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_3_1200-300x200.jpg 300w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195052/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_3_1200-768x512.jpg 768w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195052/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_3_1200-624x416.jpg 624w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/18195052/Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_3_1200.jpg 1200w data-sizes=(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px />The Embassy appointed AV integration specialists Astro Serve Ltd., who installed a total of nine Genelec 4430 and two of the smaller 4420 Smart IP loudspeakers across four separate zones in the newly renovated guest facility: the entrance, the conference room, the dining room and an informal lounge area. Astro Serve's Michinari Sato notes that the Smart IP concept facilitated a clean installation with no compromise on quality. We were specifically requested to make the installation as neat as possible with no visible cables anywhere. Normally, you need a power supply to set up an active speaker, but the Smart IP concept delivers power over Ethernet (PoE), and so only one LAN cable is required. This made it much easier to deliver impeccable results. We were able to precisely tailor the audio response to each room via the Dante network using Genelec's Smart IPManager software, which is a big advantage. Finally, an IP networked solution enables us to easily manage and reproduce high-quality audio across a number of locations seamlessly. Control is managed via a Crestron touch panel controller that non-technical staff or guests can easily handle. Alternatively, they can select content from their own devices connected to the network, or mirrored from the PC.
Sustainability was another important factor in the decision-making process. Pekka Orpana, Finnish Ambassador to Japan, relates, In Finland, sustainability is important to us. Genelec's speakers are made of 95% recycled aluminum and produced with renewable energy, making them an obvious choice for our renovation. Not only are they produced in a sustainable way, but they are very long-lasting and can be easily calibrated to any space again and again if we decide in the future that we'd like to use them elsewhere. Finally, they are very beautiful. Finnish design is well known and appreciated in Japan.
