Rabat Ice Hockey Arena

Rabat's new ice hockey arena is described as the largest and most modern on the African continent: an Olympic-sized rink that doubles as a multipurpose venue, equipped with LED walls, integrated lighting and a high-performance sound system. The brief called for audio that could serve a 360-degree audience for everything from speeches and match announcements to concerts and large public events, in a hall where echo, crowd noise and reflections off the structure can quickly blur speech.

The answer was a compact, tightly controlled K-array system: nine Kommander-KA208 amplifiers driving 48 passive Mugello-KH2P I line array elements, with 16 Thunder-KS3 I active subwoofers for low end. The slim, dual 8-inch KH2P I uses K-array's Electronic Beam Steering, so its dispersion can be aimed digitally across the seating, while mechanical adjustment adds further control over horizontal and vertical coverage. The Thunder-KS3 I subwoofers and the eight-channel KA208 amplifiers, rated at 2,500W per channel, can be configured and routed remotely through K-array Connect, and the KA208s can also be managed with K-framework3 software. Together they provide high output without the bulk or acoustic side effects of less directional systems.

Cegelec, a VINCI Energies subsidiary, delivered the project, with its audiovisual division handling the installation. Equipment was supplied by EcmaPro Systems, K-array's exclusive distributor in Morocco, and K-array's engineers supported Cegelec with system design, acoustic modelling, on-site setup and tuning, and measurement-based optimisation. Najib Bouskour, director of Axians, a VINCI Energies company, credited "K-array's combination of precise beam control and clean high output" with achieving consistent coverage across the venue. Morocco's national team won the arena's first tournament on the ice, and the venue was chosen to host the 2026 IIHF Men's Development Cup in June.

Adapted from the official K-Array case study: https://www.k-array.com/en/case-studies/rabat-ice-hockey-arena