The revamped Shanghai Stadium relied on Bose Professional technology to integrate its sound reinforcement system.
The Shanghai Stadium, home to the Shanghai Shenhua FC soccer team, is a benchmark for innovative Chinese architecture in sports venues. The stadium is characterized by its undulating roof, reminiscent of a saddle. This visually spectacular feature presented a significant acoustic challenge for the integrators of the sound reinforcement system, the Chinese company BNC Technology and the local Bose Professional team.
Opened in 1997, the Shanghai Stadium, located in the Xuhui district of Shanghai, has hosted numerous athletics and soccer events, including the 2008 Olympic soccer tournament. In 2020, a comprehensive renovation process began to convert it into a football-specific stadium, meeting FIFA standards for international competitions. In 2023, once the renovation was complete, the stadium reopened with increased capacity, which grew from 56,000 to 72,000 spectators.
A new, taller main stand was built with three seating sections on the west side, elegant VIP boxes, a media area, and modern team changing rooms. The new roof follows the undulating design of the stands, rising to 70 meters in the west area and dropping to 30 meters at the goals, creating a saddle-like appearance. The interior edge of the perimeter roof features a transparent LED screen 16.5 meters wide.
From the beginning of the sound reinforcement project, the stadium's unusual size and shape posed a series of acoustic challenges. Specifically, the combination of materials, surfaces, and the roof structure generated acoustic reflections, dampened sound, and created effects that needed to be addressed through a rigorous system design process. Additionally, the roof structure itself determined both the location and positioning of the line array speaker modules to be used.
Installing the speakers at different heights, between 30 and over 60 meters above the audience, posed an additional challenge for creating a uniform sound field over such a large area.
As a result, specialist engineers had to consider these aspects along with the initial request to find a solution powerful and flexible enough to achieve the necessary sound pressure levels, uniform coverage, balanced timbre, and vocal clarity.
To design a system that delivered consistent, clear, and powerful sound while meeting these strict design specifications and requirements, BNC Technology specialists and Bose Professional engineers used Bose Professional's Modeler simulation software, a 3D modeling program for acoustic design and analysis that examines architectural plans and material specifications.
Modeler allowed them to create different models with speaker configurations and locations to evaluate the option that offered the optimal coverage, sound pressure level, and clarity.
After a thorough analysis and virtual acoustic modeling tests, ArenaMatch DeltaQ speakers were selected for the stadium's sound reinforcement system. In total, 32 independent ArenaMatch speaker modules were used, with 16 arrays oriented toward the audience and 16 additional arrays directed toward the field of play. All speakers are powered by 60 PowerMatch 8500N amplifiers and controlled by three ControlSpace EX1280C processors, networked to redundant Dante systems.
The ArenaMatch DeltaQ technology facilitates the creation of outdoor speaker arrays that deliver uniform and intelligible sound for all attendees, with different models designed to offer specific horizontal and vertical coverage. The various models can be combined to form line arrays that provide customized coverage and reach.
With the architectural renovation, a unique roof structure, spectacular video screens, and the new sound reinforcement system covering all seating areas, the Shanghai Stadium not only meets FIFA’s high standards and China’s strictest construction regulations but also provides an exciting experience to the thousands of fans of Shanghai Shenhua FC every time they gather to watch a match.
