Bosch delivers evacuation solution for new exhibition center in Saint Petersburg

Bosch Security Systems has delivered a comprehensive and networked public address system for EXPOFORUM, the new convention and exhibition center in Russia's second largest city, Saint Petersburg. EXPOFORUM is a modern venue for exhibitions, conventions and forums, but also hosts cultural and sporting events. In the current first stage, which opened in 2014, EXPOFORUM comprises three exhibition pavilions with a total of 40,000 square meters indoor exhibition space, a conference center, two hotels, a business center and a customs facility as well as outdoor and underground parking. Additional exhibition pavilions and parking lots will be built over time.

The operators of EXPOFORUM required a multi-zone public address system to cover all public areas including exhibition halls, convention center and outdoor areas. It needed to be suitable for public announcements and background music in normal operations while doubling as a voice evacuation system in case of emergencies. The solution had to take into account the different requirements of exhibition halls, outdoor areas and the convention center to guarantee perfect intelligibility throughout the entire premises. Another important requirement was easy integration into the complex overall security system.

Based on its fully digital PRAESIDEO system, Bosch designed a networked solution with eight controllers, approximately 90 power amplifiers and more than 2,500 loudspeakers, allowing very targeted sound and message distribution. All components are networked via TCP/IP for transmission of both audio and control data. Due to the tight integration of all subsystems, the entire solution can be easily configured and operated remotely from multiple operator workstations. In addition to standard password protection, the public address system is also protected against unauthorized connection of external devices, making it highly tamper-resistant. All loudspeakers used in the project are classified as evacuation types and are EN54-24 certified. The operational status and connections are continuously monitored to guarantee the availability of the solution.

While the PRAESIDEO solution covers the existing infrastructure today, it is meant to be expanded in line with the entire exhibition center. Due to its modular and flexible architecture, the solution can easily be scaled to include additional pavilions as they are added over time without the need to modify the basic solution design.