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Kuppel’s comeback: A legendary venue reborn with CODA Audio

From 1994 to 2016, the Kuppel (Dome) in Basel wasn’t just a venue – it was a cultural icon. Housed in a quirky wooden structure originally built for a gardening show, the Kuppel became a beloved hotspot for music lovers, drawing both national and international acts to its stage. Though the building was only ever meant to be temporary, perched on public land with no long-term promise, it carved out a lasting place in the hearts of its visitors. When the city finally ordered its demolition, the public response was loud and clear: the Kuppel meant too much to too many. A trust committee was formed to preserve its legacy, and after eight years of anticipation, the dream was revived. The new Kuppel rose once again – a tribute to its legendary past and a fresh stage for the future. Headliner finds out how CODA Audio breathed new life into the much-loved music venue.

Architects Vécsey Schmidt designed the new venue and worked closely with the Basel office of global AV consultant, Walters-Storyk Design Group (WSDG), which was appointed as the project’s acoustic engineering specialist.

A high priority was placed on the total acoustic insulation of the venue owing to its location in a residential area. The collaboration between the architect and the acoustic specialist was a great success.

WSDG specified a CODA Audio system for the venue’s concert stage, which is located on the first floor beneath the dome after which the venue is named.

Kuppel’s new incarnation is once again the embodiment of Basel’s vibrant music scene.

“The process began back in the winter of 20/21 when the Covid pandemic had severely impacted the industry, and trade shows were simply not viable,” said Matthias Dietrich from CODA Audio’s Swiss distributor, Schallwerk

“We reconfigured our warehouse as a showroom and invited clients and potential clients to comprehensive demonstrations of CODA’s systems, allowing them to experience every detail of what was on offer. The team from WSDG expressed an interest in CODA Audio and came in for a demo with a view to specifying it for the new Kuppel project. 

"They clearly liked what they heard and saw, and CODA ended up on the tender. The powerful yet lightweight and compact system was perfect for what was quite a challenging space to cover.”

AV consultant and integrator Auviso of Emmen, was engaged to install the system, which was designed by WSDG around CODA Audio’s APS three-way arrayable point source loudspeakers. The choice of an arrayable point source best suited the compact round shape of the 600 capacity concert room.

The main system at the front of the hall comprised flown clusters of three CODA Audio APS (2 x 10”) and a single APS-SUB (18”) per side, with an additional HOPS 8T (high output point source) flown per side as stage fills, and five SCN-F (15”) bass extensions on the floor under the stage.

At the rear of the room above the bar, the team installed two N-APS 2-way arrayable point source units and a single N-SUB (15”) per side. This supplementary system is primarily used for surround effects in gigs, or as a part of a four-point set up for DJs.

A further three N-APS were deployed as balcony delays with 6 x CUE TWO triaxial 15” wedges used for stage monitoring. The system is powered by CODA Audio 6 x LINUS 12C 4 channel DSP amplifiers.

“The system design in the concert space is excellent,” added Dietrich. “The flown APS clusters and sub combined with the floor subs give a very nice, even low-end coverage, and the CUE TWO wedges are an excellent fit. CODA Audio loudspeakers were also chosen for the ground floor bar, where six CODA Audio D8 2-way 8” coaxial installation loudspeakers are complemented by a pair of ultra-compact U12 12” subwoofers.

“Kuppel’s new incarnation is once again the embodiment of Basel’s vibrant music scene, and we are very proud to have played a part in bringing it to life with CODA Audio at its heart."