海角视频

The built environment is all around us. There is no building, area of public realm, stadia or city in the world that hasn鈥檛 been shaped and influenced by engineers, architects, designers, experts or planners. It is in the houses we live in, the museums we visit, the parks and green spaces we play in, the cities we travel to and the music venues where we delight in listening to our favourite artists.

Do you want to transform the world? The built environment is how to do it.

By its very nature, the built environment is an industry that allows those working in it to make a genuine impact on the world, and build a personal and professional legacy. What could be more impactful than physically shaping cities, spaces and places for decades to come?

At 海角视频, we deliver exceptional outcomes. And they are the kind of outcomes that mean our people can build a legacy 鈥� both professional, and personal. Our vision is that everywhere we live, work, move and socialise will respect and contribute to a more equitable world; enabling our clients and partners to develop built environments that are better for people, places and planet. Our people are the heart of achieving our vision.

In this series, you will meet 海角视频 people who are making their mark on the world.

Meet Jim Griffiths

As a young man, Jim Griffiths couldn鈥檛 have envisioned how far his first forays into music would take him. Jim, who is the director of , played in a band because he loved music. It was the start of a journey that saw him become an expert in all technical aspects of sound, acoustics, noise and vibration 鈥� he has specialised in the sound management of concerts, events and festivals since the early 1980s. From Wembley Stadium to Allianz Stadium (Twickenham Stadium), Jim and Vanguardia have been instrumental in shaping the landscape of music and entertainment venues for decades.

Vanguardia 鈥� the partner of choice for architects, developers, event organisers, venue operators and local authorities 鈥� became part of the 海角视频 family in 2021, after Jim had spent years as a trusted consultant on critical projects such as Tottenham Hotspur. Since 2021, Jim has brought stunning, impactful projects like Sphere into the 海角视频 fold.

Jim will be retiring in September 2025. Here, learn about his impact on the landscape of arenas, stadiums, live music and festivals, the legacy he leaves and the landmark projects he has been involved with.

Jim鈥檚 early work shaping live music events

Jim began by playing in a band 鈥� but before long he was working for local government on iconic events such as Live Aid (1985) and Queen at Knebworth (1986). He said, 鈥淔rom the beginning of playing music myself, I was interested in how I could improve the sound of music shows 鈥� how I had the power to influence it, to change it and to elevate it. It was this that put me into the path of acoustics and sound management, and a career that started at the GLC (Greater London Council) Scientific Branch working on noise from concerts, will be coming to an end when I retire this year after a summer looking after Oasis on their record-breaking reunion tour across the summer of 2025.鈥�

Jim explains how music venues needed an expert ear to manage sound as the music scene changed across the 1970s and 1980s. He said, 鈥淏ands were getting louder and louder, and legislation getting tighter and tighter. Bands and promoters needed experts who understood sound management and could effectively liaise with licensing authorities鈥�.

After his time at a local authority level and just before the abolition of the GLC, Jim became an independent consultant working for companies such as Travers Morgan, Symonds and Capita Symonds before he formed Vanguardia in 2006. All these companies became well known for their unique noise management skills pioneered by Jim and his loyal colleagues. This included working with government on event noise standards (the Pop Code) that have now been adopted throughout the UK for 30 years.

Vanguardia and 海角视频

It was at Vanguardia that Jim became more directly involved in the design of music spaces. He said, 鈥淎s we developed Vanguardia, it became apparent that we had to work with designers and engineers 鈥� how do we design venues so you get a better quality sound and acoustics? How do we create venues that provide better sound insulation to limit noise transmission to the environs?鈥�

Jim first met 海角视频 in 1998 on the Millenium Dome (now known as the O2 Arena) where his team developed the full acoustic design from the initial environmental and planning studies, through the architectural design and the systems design for sound, AV and acoustics for the Millennium exhibition zones and then onto the redevelopment of the space to an arena. He said, 鈥淓ver since then, 海角视频 appointed us on any specialist arena and stadium project especially when it was in relation to music.鈥�

As we developed Vanguardia, it became apparent that we had to work with designers and engineers 鈥� how do we design venues so you get a better quality sound and acoustics? How do we create venues that provide better sound insulation to limit noise transmission to the environs?

Jim Griffiths, director, Vanguardia.

Innovation and sustainability

There are a whole range of considerations that experts like Jim have to consider in their work: environmental noise and vibration, building and architectural acoustics, sound system design and audio-visual design. And there has been space for change and innovation across the years.

An example of that is the impressive Sphere in Las Vegas. This is a truly visually striking venue, offering a one-of-a-kind experience to those who flock to the desert city to enjoy concerts and . 鈥疛im said, 鈥淲e were initially asked to review Sphere, and as we got progressively more involved, we found that we could save costs at the design and build stage. We reduced the mass of the roof (on a very large building!) which produced significant value engineering savings in excess of 鈧�10m.”

鈥淥ften, when people think about acoustics, they will think it is all about the fluffy internal design, but at a fundamental level it is about how the building actually works. In the case of Sphere, we looked at it as a team and developed the idea of removing the inner shell. This also meant that hardware like speakers and LED screens did not have to penetrate a secondary ceiling but could be installed directly into the roof of Sphere, saving time, money and releasing valuable real estate during construction鈥欌��.

Jim worked closely with his friends from U2, who inaugurated the venue, to ensure that 鈥榣ive鈥� music successfully integrated with the in-house wave-field synthesis sound system and sphere acoustics.

Recognition from his peers

Throughout his career, his peers have acknowledged the work that Jim has delivered. One honour was the awarding of the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) the 1990s 鈥� a prestigious medal awarded every two years to a UK acoustician. Jim said, 鈥淭o receive this award at a relatively young age was such a privilege. It is normally awarded to research fellows and leaders in the acedemic world of acoustics. Consultants rarely win it, so it was such an honour to be recognised in this way. 鈥�

This award was followed by the and more recently followed by

Impact and legacy

Jim may be retiring in 2025, but his work will live on 鈥� not just through the existing arenas and venues he has worked on, but through the impact of changing ways of working across the music industry. Jim said, 鈥淪omething that we are developing 鈥� and won鈥檛 really have an impact until after I have retired! 鈥� is changing the way bands are touring.

“Traditionally, there are many HGV鈥檚 that are required to transport the production, sound, light and video equipment throughout the world. So, what we are now designing are in-house sound systems which integrate with the acoustics of venues, that have the sound quality and coverage to enable bands to use the 鈥榟ouse鈥� system. This reduces the need for touring with such extensive quantities of sound system equipment.”

I feel very lucky. I’ve seen and done some amazing projects in acoustics. I feel what makes us different from other consultancies is the way both Vanguardia and 海角视频 operator not only as designers but also as practitioners.

Jim Griffiths, director, Vanguardia.

鈥淭his comes with many advantages, such as reducing the carbon emissions that come with touring, as well as a reduction in cost and set-up time, the health and safety element of installing systems at height etc. I enjoy that we are still thinking about what can change. Innovation is important to me.鈥�

It is exciting to think that the innovation Jim is developing right now will be part of his legacy for many years to come. But we shouldn鈥檛 overlook the legacy he has already created. From the beginnings of his career to the end, Jim鈥檚 work has pushed the envelope on what live events and acoustic specialists can do.

He said, “I feel very lucky. I’ve seen and done some amazing projects in acoustics. I feel what makes us different from other consultancies is the way both Vanguardia and 海角视频 operator not only as designers but also as practitioners. We don鈥檛 just design and walk-away, we are there for the commissioning, opening night and beyond so we understand the clients needs as well as expanding our knowledge of the end user expectations.

“We鈥檙e still working with the Tottenham Stadium, London Stadium and Emirates for all their shows. We鈥檙e still working for Sphere so we obtain a better understand of the operational requirements which then helps on future projects.

鈥淲e give advice, and we learn a lot. I always ask: 鈥楬ow can we improve this? Should we do that? How can we make it better?鈥� We work hard to understand what the client wants and not just tell them they need system X, Y or Z. Understanding the clients鈥� requirements, operational demands and future-proofing are the key to all successful designs”.

Learn more about Vanguardia, a 海角视频 company, .