The Client and the Site
Itsu launched in 1997 in London, with a restaurant based around the now-familiar conveyor belt sushi format. It quickly become a firm favourite of Londoners looking for healthy, delicious and affordable food and by 2009, there were 20 retail outlets and 3 restaurants.
This site at 100 Notting Hill Gate - Itsu's fourth and largest restaurant - is the jewel in the crown of this expanding network.
The name Itsu means 'whenever', and this moniker is especially appropriate for this particular venue, because on the first floor - above the retail area and the large ground-floor restaurant - is the Butterfly Bar, where luxury saké and sumptuous cocktails are on offer throughout the day and late into the night.
The Brief
The Itsu management decided there was the need for something well above the typical sound system for a restaurant, for what was to be their flagship venue. Crossover was chosen to design, supply and install the system.
We were explicitly briefed by the client that three factors were of particular importance to them when considering their audio system. These were, in order of importance: good quality audio, even dispersion of the audio to all public areas of the venue, and the aesthetic appearance of the installation. In addition, the client required local control of audio volume and source on the two floors.
The Solution
The Crossover team worked closely with the main Design & Build firm (G S Contracts ), interior designers & project managers (Aristeia), and with Auracle Sound who had been commissioned to select, programme and stream the audio content, which was to be different on both floors.
In order to provide maximum flexibility of the system, and to ensure appropriate volume levels in every part of the venue at all times of the day, the Crossover team identified 8 different audio zones.
Crossover installed a combination of high-quality 'traditional' in-ceiling speakers (from Martin Audio), in-ceiling subwoofers, and the beautiful spherical Anthony Gallo speakers (mounted in two different ways). This meticulously planned combination ensured that our audio system delivers the ultimate in good audio coverage whilst also being aesthetically discreet and entirely in-keeping with the spectacular interior design that has been implemented on both floors.
Functionality Overview
- A dual-source, multizone audio system for the restaurant and bar providing high quality audio reproduction throughout this expansive and acoustically-challenging space. The solution included:
- Programmable AMX control system that allows local control of volume and source in the various restaurant audio system zones; code-protected elements of the system control allowing certain functionality to be restricted.
- Yamaha 8-channel professional amplifiers
- Martin Audio C 8.1 in-ceiling speakers
- Quad C-Sub in-ceiling subwoofers
- Anthony Gallo Micro TI aluminium spherical loudspeakers
The project results delivered were excellent...The project was completed on time - under duress and amongst constant change, so well done.