Four Seasons Florence

The Four Seasons Hotel Firenze engaged Nueva as system integrator, working alongside acoustic design firm Studio Sound Service and audio manufacturer K-array, to deliver a fully concealed sound system across the historic Palazzo del Nero and the Conventino, a former chapel.

The project required months of coordination with mechanical, electrical, and interior design teams to ensure every audio solution respected heritage preservation constraints while meeting the performance expectations of an ultra-luxury hospitality brand. The result is a discreet, high-performance audio installation spanning reception areas, dining rooms, outdoor terraces, and a monumental events space, all managed seamlessly across a Dante network.

Nueva’s approach centered on solving the tension between acoustic performance and architectural invisibility. Working closely with Studio Sound Service’s acoustic specifications, Nueva developed bespoke installation solutions at every stage.

The compact form factor of K-array’s product range, including the slim Vyper and Lyzard series loudspeakers, made them well-suited to the constraints of the project, but even these required custom integration work. Where standard recessed mounting would have required excessively deep cavities, Nueva fabricated custom back boxes only marginally deeper than the Vyper units, allowing clean integration without structural compromise.

For the Conventino, where heritage restrictions heavily limited speaker placement, Nueva engineered a custom single-point suspension bracket system for the Kayman-KY102 line array units, optimizing the aim angle toward the audience while minimizing energy directed at the reverberant ceiling. Throughout, Nueva coordinated signal routing and remote zone control across the entire Dante network.

The primary challenge was reconciling world-class audio performance with the strict preservation requirements of a protected historic building. No element of the installation could compromise the architectural integrity or visual aesthetic of the spaces.

This demanded inventive mechanical engineering at virtually every location, from custom back boxes for the Vyper loudspeakers to single-point suspension rigs for the Kayman line arrays. In several areas, K-array’s ability to supply custom RAL finishes proved critical: Lyzard units integrated into wood paneling were finished to match exactly, rendering them effectively invisible.

The Conventino presented the greatest complexity; a naturally reverberant former chapel requiring both acoustic treatment and precise speaker positioning to achieve intelligible, high-SPL coverage using the Pinnacle-KR802 II line array system, without impacting the ceiling or structural fabric.

Outdoor areas added a further layer of difficulty, requiring weather-resistant systems installed on narrow window-frame uprights to maintain uniform coverage across terraces and gardens while minimizing visual intrusion.

This project demonstrates that technical excellence and architectural sensitivity are not competing values. They are, in fact, complementary ones. Nueva’s work at the Four Seasons in Florence goes well beyond competent installation. It reflects a deep understanding of context, craft, and the demands of luxury hospitality.

Every decision, from custom-fabricated hardware to the careful selection of K-array’s compact, architecturally discreet loudspeaker systems, was made in service of an experience where the technology is felt but never seen.

The collaboration between Nueva, Studio Sound Service, and K-array produced a result that is as elegant as the building it serves, which is precisely what great AV integration should achieve.