Written by Michael Jarzabkowski ©
Tel. (410) 695-0645
Fax.(410) 695-2220
Email mjarzo@gte.net
Website home1.gte.net/mjarzo

First published in: Church & Worship Technology, Volume 3, Issue 4, April 2002,
by Workhorse Publishing, Scottsdale, Arizona.


Your minister and church board have decided that it is time for a new building so they have engaged an architectural firm or a design-build company and preliminary plans are already underway. You know how many seats you want in your new sanctuary, the layout of the nursery and preschool rooms, the number of classrooms, how many offices, conference rooms, bathrooms—and don't forget the grand atrium with a central fountain as you enter the foyer. The drawings begin to reflect the desires of the building committee and budget figures are now being discussed based on the cost per square foot of built-up area.

Integrating Worship Technology Systems into the Building Design

Up to this stage your building design is not vastly different from many other large free-standing structures typically made from a combination of concrete, steel, brick, timber, glass and other standard construction materials. For this reason, most architects and design-build companies continue through the preliminary design process and produce plans and drawings without addressing some of the most important systems that are a major part of the worship experience for your congregation. In many cases these systems are discussed too late in the design process for them to function correctly without undertaking major changes to the preliminary design. What often happens is that they are installed as an "addition" and therefore function poorly—, apart from the way that they detract from the aesthetic appearance of the worship space.

Acoustics

What are some of these systems that could be considered key components to the worship experience? If we begin with the concept that a church auditorium should be a place for "hearing" the Word of God then it necessarily includes the auditorium acoustics and then the audio system for sound reinforcement. If every person seated in the auditorium cannot clearly hear what is being spoken or sung, then the building project could be considered a design failure in relation to its primary purpose. The acoustics of an auditorium are a high priority and should be a primary design consideration when preliminary plans are being drawn. The auditorium layout, shape, volume and ceiling profile are all key factors in determining the acoustics so they need to be addressed by the acoustic consultant in the conceptual design stage. By using detailed computer modeling, the acoustics of an auditorium can be predicted long before any concrete is poured. Far to often acoustics is a "fix-up" job with some padded treatment placed on the walls after the building is completed. This is much like patching on a new pair of pants.

Noise Control

Along with acoustic design is noise control. Calculations must be done to ensure that the ventilation system noise is below the acceptable criteria for good listening and that the sound of children in the nursery or preschool rooms does not intrude into the sanctuary. If your building is next to a main road, railway, airport or some other environmental noise source, then these factors will also need to be considered by the acoustic consultant to ensure that external background noise does not disturb the congregation.

Sound System

The second part of hearing involves the design of the audio system, which should be based on the calculated acoustic parameters of the auditorium. It is only after the acoustics have been calculated that the sound reinforcement system can be designed. Contrary to what some people may tell you, installation of an audio system will not compensate for bad auditorium acoustics. Usually the acoustics and audio system design are both handled by the acoustic consultant so it is easier for them to be integrated into the building design as it is developed. This is why it is important that the acoustic consultant be engaged in the early stages of building design. Apart from the acoustics, the audio system also needs to be coordinated with the architectural design in such a way that the location of the loudspeakers, mixing console, amplifiers and the cable routing can be optimized and integrated with the aesthetics of the building.

Architectural Lighting

After "hearing" we turn to the "visual" aspects of the worship experience; these systems can be broken down into a three areas. The most basic requirement is light, so the first area includes architectural or house lighting, and also theatrical stage lighting. The selection of house lighting fixtures has to be coordinated with the architectural finishes and is based on the reflectivity of the wall and ceiling materials, their colors, and the ceiling height. Control of all the house lighting should be from a central location that is typically beside or even within the theatrical stage lighting control console. There may be switches for the house lights near the entrance doors, but the person at the stage lighting console position should also be able to control all the house lighting (including dimming) during the service.

Stage Lighting

This brings us to theatrical stage lighting, which has more parameters to be taken into account during the preliminary design stage of the building. The stage lighting design has to include the following:

Apart from this there are electrical design concerns--such as the routing of all the 120-Volt wiring from the dimming racks to each of the fixture positions and allocation of the main power supply to each dimming rack, which will typically be a 400 Amp disconnect feed from the main electrical distribution board.

So many of these parameters need to be addressed during the preliminary design of the auditorium. The total power capacity needs to be calculated for the sizing of the main supply lines from the utility company. The internal electrical wiring for the stage lighting fixtures needs to be provided on the design drawings, and then there are the physical constraints of the stage lighting system that are affected by the layout and shape of the auditorium.

The stage/platform area will typically need a number of Front-of-House (FOH) lighting rails and catwalks that project light down from above at an angle of between 40 to 55 degrees from the vertical. The FOH side lighting will normally encompass a total angle of between 70 and 100 degrees to the platform, and then there is the locating of all the overhead stage lighting and stage side lighting. All these angles and lighting positions need to be worked out during the preliminary planning stages so that the building structure is designed to incorporate the catwalks and lighting rails. These catwalks need to be coordinated with the acoustic design of the ceiling profile so the design team can begin to see how each of these systems interact with the others and be aware of how they are to be integrated during the early stages of the building design.

Stage Rigging

The second visual area has a significant bearing (pardon the pun) on the structural design of the building: the stage rigging system. A house curtain and a single rear backdrop are rather lightweight, but each dedicated stage rigging batten could have a designed load capacity of up to 3,000 lbs. If your church decides that they would like 20 of these battens (not an unusual request if your church does some serious drama presentations) then the structural engineer needs to provide a roof structure that will accommodate at least an extra 30 tons over the stage/platform area. Not only does the roof structure need to support the additional weight, but the steel roof beams need to be positioned in a very specific way so that the rigging blocks can be positioned correctly. All this information needs to be presented during the preliminary design stage so that the building will be an integration of the various worship specific systems. To retrofit any of these systems after the building is completed would cost a lot more than if they were designed into the project from the start. The earlier in the design stage these systems are discussed, the less surprises there will be.

Projection Systems

For a third "visual" area we could continue to add other significant items such as the projection system or video walls. It makes a lot of difference to the building design whether your church wants a front- or rear-projection system because rear projection needs space behind the screen. If the screen is to be flush within the wall then a cavity must be designed into the space behind to accommodate the projectors. Front projection means that rigging must be supplied for the projectors and the location must be chosen so that it does not interfere with the sound or lighting system. Video walls also require architectural coordination along with electrical concerns and control wiring.

Communication Systems and Ethernet

Finally, there is also the selection and locating of internal and external communication equipment such as intercoms, video camera feeds, closed circuit television, and possibly even a master control room for recording and radio or television broadcast. The church will also need to consider the location of Ethernet node stations. Nearly all high-end lighting control, digital audio control, and video control is beginning to incorporate some aspect of the Ethernet protocol to communicate between the various pieces of equipment. Lighting consoles still speak DMX512 but the higher-end models also have Ethernet connections (which can carry a lot more data) to communicate with the dimmer racks and other components that need intelligent control. Any church being built today should have Ethernet nodes at the control locations, monitoring locations, backstage, at camera locations, in the control rooms, offices, conference rooms and classrooms. With UTP cable and fittings being so inexpensive, it makes no sense to ignore the installation of Ethernet for a building in the 21st Century. You may not fully utilize the protocol now, but equipment is easily added if the cable routing and infrastructure are in place.

To really integrate your worship technology systems into your building in a functional and aesthetically pleasing way your church building committee should engage the acoustics and audio-visual consultant early in the project design stage. A skilled consultant will ensure that these systems become a part of the church rather than an "add-on" at the end of the project. These systems can be a significant percentage of the total cost of your facility but by addressing them in the early stages of design realistic budgets can be set. Even if finances are not available for all the equipment items on your "wish" list, at least the control wiring, conduits, locations and infrastructure should be accounted for in the architectural design. Then, other particular pieces of equipment can be purchased and installed at a later stage when money becomes available.


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