Berlin’s St Hedwig’s Cathedral has recently completed an extensive renovation, featuring an innovative audio solution from local technology company Holoplot. The historic building, which opened in 1773 and was modelled after Rome’s Pantheon, now combines classical architecture with modern sound technology.
The renovation, led by Sichau & Walter Architects, restored the cathedral’s original interior layout with seating in the round while addressing longstanding acoustic challenges. The circular space, measuring 30 meters in diameter with a 33-meter-high dome, previously struggled with speech intelligibility due to lengthy reverberation times.
“Worship architecture fundamentally differs from secular architecture,” said Peter Sichau, Founding Partner at Sichau & Walter Architects, “Because its primary purpose is to create a framework, so that the celebrant, in this case the priest, can deliver mass in a way that offers worshipers a religious experience.”
Holoplot installed 22 X2 Matrix Array loudspeaker units behind perforated panels, maintaining the cathedral’s clean aesthetic while solving acoustic issues. The system uses 3D Audio-Beamforming technology to control sound distribution and minimize interference with altar microphones.
“Our priests will finally be able to speak comfortably at the altar and that is possible thanks to the way Holoplot has designed the active beams,” said Johannes Rogge, Technical and Media Integration Lead for the project. “I am really impressed by how that works; to be able to hear the difference just by moving a few meters, is amazing.”
The system includes preset configurations for various uses, from regular services to choral performances, designed to be accessible for the cathedral’s volunteer technical team.
“Based on this experience, Holoplot is the only system that can be used for such tasks in the future,” said Sichau. “No other system that I know allows for massive spatial impression or the specific adjustment of acoustic subtleties.”
Holoplot, based in Berlin, has received multiple industry awards, including the AV Award for Audio Technology of the Year and recognition from TIME’s Best Inventions list of 2022.
