Sharkmob, Malmö

Games developer Sharkmob commissioned Smart Studio to install two specialist rooms in their premises in the historic square of Stortorge, central Malmo. The project was the first of its kind to to be undertaken in Scandinavia. The site being over 1,500km from the Smart Studio factory required a well-planned logistical plan in terms of manufacture and shipment of all the necessary materials and components.

The impact of COVID-19

The core plan was to prefabricate all elements, load them on a trailer and ship them to Malmo, allowing 10 days to make the journey. Smart Studio’s installation team would then fly to site and, in conjunction with two local contractors, assemble the Smart Studio on location.

Then, as with a great many industries worldwide, Coronavirus hit. Lockdown and travel restrictions were imposed.

Fortunately, the shipping of the materials to site had already been undertaken on schedule. The question became how to handle the installation without the in-person involvement of Smart Studio staff on-site.

Studio was installed swiftly on-site.

A creative solution:

Typically, installation of any Smart Studio project is completed in accordance with a detailed set of drawings which lay out the essential information necessary to complete the project. Dimensionally accurate information is contained across a series of specific project drawings relating to every aspect of the installation. This ranges from the initial position of the floating floor isolating pads, through to the location of grounds for speakers. Every element is detailed in sequence, enabling the codified construction of a Smart Studio, wherever its being installed.

As it happened, prior to this particular installation a series of manuals had been completed. These documents detailed the assembly procedure for the various modules which form the building blocks of the Smart Studio System. These newly-competed guidelines were simply forwarded to the construction professionals on site, Henrick and Daniel. Over a series of short video conference calls the essential details of the install were discussed, allowing the contractors to work independently on site.

The Installation:

The installation was completed without any in-person presence on site from any of the Smart Studio install team. What started as an unforeseeable setback quickly became a very satisfying process. One that very much vindicated the robustness of the overall concept and design.

The original Smart Studio objective was to develop a modular system based on a series of building blocks. These blocks were to be capable of being manufactured off site and then shipped to site. The assembly process was not to be overly reliant on the availability of specialist studio builders to “get it right”. All the while, delivering the consistent and repeatable acoustic performance required for mission-critical audio production. The Smart Studio method provides scope for installs anywhere in the world.

The End Result:

The outcome of Smart Studio’s recent project in Malmo was a fully completed two-room project with the classic Smart Studio acoustic characteristics. No compromise in either build or sound quality. It’s always interesting to see what positives can emerge from adverity. While the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has caused unprecedented harm for people and businesses the world over, it was always our intention to develop Smart Studio so as to have an option for client implemented installation under their own control and direction. However, we hadn’t intended it to happen so soon. As ever, necessity is the mother of invention and Smart Studio are indebted to Henrich and Daniel for their work in assembling the incredible new rooms for Sharkmob in Malmo