A network of the future at La Monnaie
08-01-2025La Monnaie, Belgium’s renowned opera house, operates across two main buildings: the historic opera house and the workshops located just across the street. For years, each building maintained separate networks for lighting, audio/video, and administration. These isolated systems resulted in limited interaction, duplicated setups, and inefficiencies that hindered modern production capabilities. Recognising the need for transformation, La Monnaie’s team convened to envision a solution: a shared, future-ready network that would unify their operations and elevate their technical infrastructure.
Shared network
Amptec ntwrx won the tender for this ambitious project in 2023. Led by Sales Manager Jasper Willems and ntwrx Project Engineers Bert Gielis and Dietrich De Bruyne, the implementation showcased innovative design and precise execution. “Our goal was to deliver a truly future-proof network, one that would redefine how the team at La Monnaie integrates technology into their productions,” Jasper Willems explained. The new network infrastructure incorporates a fully redundant red-and-blue architecture for production and a spine-leaf topology for administrative systems. This design ensures 24/7 reliability and enables seamless device connectivity across the network. With centralised management through Arista’s CloudVision tool, network configuration has become intuitive and accessible, empowering both IT and production teams. “We made sure PTP, IGMP, and VLAN configurations could be handled with just a few clicks—it’s all about simplifying complexity,” Bert Gielis added.
The first step involved overhauling the physical infrastructure—reorganising and relabeling decades of cabling across the two buildings. Amptec introduced NetBox as a central source of truth for the physical network, fostering cross-department collaboration and simplifying signal path management. This comprehensive approach laid the foundation for technical and creative teams to fully exploit the system’s potential.
Transformative results
The impact of the shared network has been profound. A rehearsal room in the workshop building can now seamlessly integrate into live performances in the opera house. The network enables low-latency video of the conductor, sound monitoring for the choir, synchronised lighting and audio cues, and reliable talkback functionality. Additional innovations include internal live streaming, synchronised OSC cues for lighting, sound, and video, and enhanced Wi-Fi capabilities for controlling stage devices.
Karl Ancia from La Monnaie expressed his satisfaction: “Amptec’s expertise in both IT and AV is unparalleled. During the process, Amptec supported us at every step, always providing well-thought-out solutions. From relabeling our cabling to addressing security and fine-tuning SMPTE 2110 standards, their team has been a pleasure to work with.” “Our ability to unify IT and AV at this scale shows what’s possible when you truly understand both worlds,” added Bert Gielis.
Total partner
Amptec’s involvement went beyond technical implementation. From project management and design to consultancy, installation, and ongoing support, we delivered an end-to-end solution tailored to La Monnaie’s needs. “ With this innovative network in place, La Monnaie is now poised to lead the way in media and IT integration, unlocking new creative possibilities for years to come,” Jasper Willems concludes.
https://www.amptec.be/ntwrx