Harris Grant Associates

HGA goes house hunting and ship building

UK: ACOUSTICS AND DESIGN consultancy Harris Grant Associates (HGA) has relocated to a larger HQ and expanded its roster of executives. The UK-founded company has transferred from a long sojourn at film and production nerve centre Pinewood to Guildford, the wealthy London commuter town rich in refurbishable period buildings.

HGA now occupies one such place, an 18th century town house in which the firm has consolidated its sister companies Coastal Acoustics and Discrete Systems, together with architect Gavin Sargent and finance director Carolyn Hayter. A Tokyo office is run by Sheen Uchida. Co-founder and renowned studio designer Neil Grant [right] spoke to Studio Sound about the move.

 Neil Grant Acoustician
Q: What prompted the move?

We'd just come through the busiest two years in our 18-years of business. So we were pushed for space, plus we wanted to own our own building. It creates good equity for the consultancy, and it demonstrates that the company has substance. We'd spent about 18 months looking around, and it's an absolutely lovely house.

Q:How does an 18th century house become an international consultancy HQ?

We took it all apart. We spent about three months creating a workshop, a theatre, a large open-plan design office, boardroom, reception and management offices--but it has retained a very nice feel.

Q: How have you moulded it to the current shape of your businesses?

Because we're doing a lot of work now with control systems, we wanted somewhere we could also do R&D and demonstrations. We do a lot of work nowadays on private facilities--including theatres and yachts. The need to demonstrate to very demanding clients is clear. We have people who write code and design systems and networks for those facilities.

Q: A sign of the times?

It is. If we were still only designing control rooms for the music and postproduction industries, we would all be having a lean time of it. Ironically, though, over the last four years we have designed and completed two of the most sophisticated music studios that have ever been built.

Q: Who were they for?

Again, they are for private owners so I'm afraid I can't tell you. I am NDA'd up to the hilt...

Q: How else have you diversified?

We've diversified into architectural acoustics, particularly. I've just finished all of the background noise and architectural acoustic preliminaries for the new BBC development at White City in West London. And we've got three very large super-yacht projects on the go, which run over three or four years.

Q: Are you still making Boxer monitors?

Coastal Acoustics still owns the brand, and supplies installations and systems each year. We're not a major manufacturing enterprise. We don't have wood and metal work in-house, but 5.1 surround has definitely boosted demand and we have expanded to accommodate this.

Q: And where is Discrete Systems heading?

Very much into architectural acoustics, such as the Cinerama facility in Seattle. It has a 70kW EAW system, Soundweb control and is hugely successful. But again, we've just put the first of two surround systems into Guillaume Tell in Paris, so there's life in studios yet. HGA, Tel: +44 1483 885678.