UK - The Northern School of Art is one step closer to realising its vision of establishing a major film and TV production facility in the North East. A planning application has been submitted for The Northern Studios - a Hartlepool-based, 30,000sq.ft film and TV studio and production facility designed in partnership with Logic Architecture. The new development would provide the North East with its first dedicated production facility capable of housing large-scale film and TV production. It will support specialist technical and skills training for undergraduates on a range of creative degree programmes available at The Northern School of Art, but will also be available for commercial studio use, allowing business users to take advantage of the specialised technical equipment for stage, screen and events production. Pat Chapman, vice-principal (employability and
USA - For the past 15 years, the Infinite Energy Arena has served the greater Atlanta, Georgia area as a state-of-the-art venue for concerts, graduations, and sporting events of all types, from basketball to ice hockey to professional lacrosse. Depending on the nature of the event, the arena holds between 11,000 and 13,000 people. After its original sound reinforcement system fell out of date and beyond repair, the Infinite Energy Arena management chose AV integration firm Logic Systems Sound & Lighting, of St. Louis, Missouri, to install a cost-effective Danley Sound Labs system. The Danley system reuses existing wiring & rigging and far exceeds the design criteria for fidelity and sound pressure level, all while simultaneously slashing the system’s energy budget in half. “The old system relied on obsolete technology and discontinued products,” explains
USA - Tirso Lighting has installed an all-LED Elation lighting package for another Wahi Group club opening in northern Manhattan, this time Bar 151, an upscale lounge and performance space in the neighbourhood of Inwood, a quieter and more affordable enclave of New York City that has become increasingly popular of late. Tirso Lighting has been around since 2009 and has been using Elation lighting since its inception. Nevertheless, Bar 151 was the design and integration company’s first all LED lighting project. “I was really looking forward to doing an all LED project and this was a good chance to realize that,” says Tirso Lighting owner Tirso Pelaez, who served as lighting designer on the project and suggested the green approach to the client. “Elation’s choice of products allowed us to put together an all LED lighting package for Bar 151 that can stand on its own.
Nigeria - Based in Port Harcourt, Chicoco Studios is housed in The Shed, a community space built by the young residents of the city’s waterfront slums. The studio was designed and installed by the Collaborative Media Advocacy Platform (CMAP) in conjunction with the musicians from Chicoco Collective and is home to both recording and radio broadcast spaces. Directed by ex-BBC engineer Ana Bonaldo, with technical mentoring and support from another ex-BBC engineer Colin Neal, Chicoco Radio is powered by a pair of Allen & Heath XB-14-2 compact broadcast mixers chosen, according to Neal for their “incomparable value and versatility. We found no other desk at this price point which features broadcast functions such as TELCO channels with clean feed, talkback and remote starts for playout channels.” While Chicoco Radio was devised to give the residents of Port Harc
France - La Seine Musicale is a venue in Paris that resides on a small island in the middle of the Seine. From its inception, there was a desire to have studio recording and rehearsing space facilities integrated as a permanent part of the building that hosts concerts, musicals, ballets, comedy and corporate events. It quickly became clear that the best way to ensure easy connectivity from every potential recording space to the control room would be to install a building-wide network of Ethernet cables and connection ports. It was simply the ideal way to route high counts of audio channels between locations. An IP Audio solution was a must - and following careful considerations, the team decided to go for Audinate’s Dante protocol. Arnaud Kalmes, the head engineer at the Riffx Studios in the La Seine Musicale building comments: “The implementation of a Dante Networ
USA - Located in Melborne, Florida, Church at Viera holds four modern worship services in two different venues each week using Allen & Heath dLive, GLD and SQ Series mixers for FOH and streaming broadcast and a ME-1 Personal Mixing System for monitoring. Production director Eli Higginbotham, alongside technical director Brock West, leads Church at Viera’s production team. “We had an older digital mixer with reliability issues,” says Brock. “So, when I came on board, I looked for a replacement. We considered several brands but there wasn’t another console in the same class and price range as the dLive.” The church has standardised on Allen & Heath digital mixers for FOH, broadcast and their Youth Centre. “The architecture is very similar so it’s easy to train a volunteer to mix in one space and then move them to another,” says Eli. Churc
UK - River Audio has installed a new Martin Audio WPM line array in the main hall at Plymouth University. The university wanted to replace its small vocal PA in this location with an upgraded system that would be suitable not only for speech but also music and drama performance. When a delegation of the University’s AV technicians attended a live sound training course with the local Base Sound, to improve their mixing capabilities, they were introduced to Martin Audio’s signature sound, and were immediately impressed. After reviewing various systems they opted for the WPM line array and chose Base Sound sister company, River Audio, to supply and install six of the WPM tops, flown each side of the proscenium, with and a pair of WX218 subs on the ground, all running from a pair of Martin Audio iKon 8-channel amps. As the two clusters are trimmed around 6m from
USA - While many churches struggle to attract new members or keep current ones, Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, Georgia, has found success by keeping things fresh and presenting church as more than just an hour-a-week event to endure. With the knowledge that AV and dynamic lighting systems can positively impact the overall worship experience, Cascade Hills chose a flexible Elation stage lighting system to raise its profile and help grow its ministry. Cascade Hills personnel called on local Columbus-based Absolute Audio Systems for a lighting solution that would enhance both the live and broadcast aspects of their worship services. “Cascade Hills is an active church that was in need of a lighting upgrade so they could improve the look of their weekly services and TV broadcasts, as well as special events like musical performances,” explains Todd Buckner, owner of Absolu
UK - Design and technical theatre consultancy Theatreplan has been chosen to work alongside architects Bennetts Associates on the major redevelopment of the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh. The designs from Bennetts Associates for the redeveloped theatre have been recently unveiled and show a design that respects the original building but reimagines it for the 21st century. The scheme will see an overhaul of the theatre’s interior and exterior and will cost in the region of £20m. Mathew Smethurst-Evans, executive director UK for Theatreplan, comments: “Theatreplan is thrilled to be part of the team rejuvenating this historic theatre and modernising its facilities to meet the needs of the 21st century.” Duncan Hendry, chief executive of
UK - Specialist music venue company VMS Live appointed technical production specialist Adlib to provide a new audio and lighting design and installation in the popular 1900 capacity Eventim Olympia in Liverpool, UK, one of the high profile live music sites that VMS operates. This project was led by VMS’s MD Steve Forster and Adlib’s Andy Dockerty who in turn enlisted the knowledge and practical expertise of two of Adlib’s most experienced engineers - Ian Nelson (audio) and Stuart Gray (lighting), choosing a Coda PA and a Chauvet moving light rig. The general goal was to provide tour-grade in-house production options for visiting artists both in terms of practicality and creative scope, so they can avoid the expense and hassle of bringing in their full productions. The auditorium was originally constructed in 1905 – designed by legendary theatrical archite
USA - Sitting on a sprawling campus in the Bothell community outside of Seattle, Cedar Park Church was founded in 1970 and has, for the last nearly 50 years, been growing each year. When the time came to upgrade the church’s sound system in its 970-seat main auditorium, the decision to install a new system from Clair Brothers. Steve Palermo, owner, LIFT AV, consultant and project manager of the new system, explains: “No architectural changes had to be made, however, we did spec the system for the church’s planned future renovations. This Clair Brothers kiTCurve12 system was designed to accommodate future renovations without requiring any further system enhancements or funding.” Cedar Park Church’s old system was antiquated and due for a modern approach. The first step of the physical installation was the removal of all eighteen of the old speakers, ten
UK - Rope Assemblies has worked with Castleford Heritage Trust to create a safe footbridge at Castleford's Queen's Mill - part of a major restoration project to restore the historic building which is used as a venue for local events. One such event, the Castleford Beer Festival took place last month - a community event drawing in the crowds with musical art, food and of course beer. James Knowles, project manager at Castleford Heritage Trust reports: "The venue was all ready for the festival which was set to attract over 1000 visitors. However, we had an issue with the function room - it only has one emergency escape and so we had to install a bridge so that, should visitors be required to leave the building in an emergency, they could do so safely. Without the bridge, we would not have been able to use the room." Thanks to a recommendation from a rigging company worki
UK - Stage Electrics has won a contract to supply production lighting and AV solutions to Croydon’s Fairfield Halls as a part of the venue’s highly anticipated redevelopment. Working with the Contractor, Vinci Construction, and the theatre consultant, Sound Space Vision, the Stage Electrics team, will be starting on site this month. “Stage Electrics has a long-standing relationship with this venue,” comments Richard Phare, Stage Electrics regional commercial manager. “I was personally involved with Fairfield’s last technical refurbishment over 20 years ago. It’s fantastic that Stage Electrics can, again, play a part in this venue’s continuous development.” The Stage Electrics team are completing works within the venue’s three main performance spaces; the 1800-seat Concert Hall, the 750-seat Ashcroft Theatre and the Arnhem Gallery - plus a new multi
UK - Multi-disciplinary consultancy Plann and its director Jack Tilbury celebrated a third high-profile theatre opening in two years when Bristol Old Vic reopened in September following a £13m capital project. Tilbury led the venue’s redevelopment working alongside chief executive Emma Stenning and artistic director Tom Morris. He was also a project director during the relocation of the Bush Theatre (completed in March 2017) and managed the construction of the Bridge Theatre (opened in October 2017). Architects Haworth Tompkins designed all three schemes. Tilbury comments: "After spending 10 years in design meetings, it became apparent to me that the building industry is just not set up to cope with the unusual demands of a theatre scheme. The projects are architecturally complicated, can involve millions of pounds of high-tech specialist equipment, funding mileston
Japan - The Tokyo development of Roppongi Hills is a large complex that incorporates office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, cafés, cinemas, a museum, a hotel, a major TV studio, an outdoor amphitheatre and parks. Located within the development, Roppongi Hills Arena is an entertainment venue with a retractable roof that will host live entertainment as well as high-end events. In February this year, Roppongi Hills Arena underwent a major refurbishment to enable it to adapt to even more types of entertainment. With its new outdoor capability has come the imperative to decrease neighbourhood noise pollution, and thus an improved sound system and monitoring capability was required. After auditioning many loudspeaker brands, Martin Audio’s CDD series was selected. The venue requisitioned 12 cabinets which have been installed on the round shaped truss at the top of
Croatia - HUST has installed over 1,000 Apart and Community loudspeakers as part of new audio and video systems at the Valamar Girandella Resort. The complex, located in Rabac on the Adriatic coast of northern Croatia, comprises the Girandella Family Hotel, the Girandella Maro Suites - Kinderhotel, the Girandella adult hotel, the Girandella Premium Villas, the Bellevue hotel and the Sundance Beach Club. In the system design, HUST chose Apart loudspeakers for background music zones, while Community loudspeakers were used for AV and conferencing and in the pool areas where all-weather capability was essential. To ensure maximum versatility, the complex has over 40 independent audio zones, which can be further divided into separate areas in several facilities. To provide this level of zoning, and control with ease of use, HUST installed a Biamp TesiraFORTÉ system with Tesira T
Switzerland - Powersoft amplification has been selected as a key component in the newly installed audio system at Roadhouse Luzern - a bustling venue at the heart of the city’s party scene. Roadhouse hosts jam sessions, live concerts, special events and parties. The venue originally sought a company to perform a general service on its existing audio setup, in addition to replacing a handful of defective or outdated components. After an exhaustive inventory - and with the future in mind - it became clear that a more comprehensive overhaul was the way to go. Swiss company Skuma AG - a sound reinforcement specialist with over 40 years of experience - was awarded the contract for its Dante-capable overall concept, with the Powersoft gear distributed by Go Wild AG. During the implementation period, the venue’s restaurant was to stay open seven days-a-week, with
UK - Following a collaboration at the recently completed White Rose leisure extension in Leeds, Studiotech was approached by tensile fabric specialists, Base Structures, to assist with the multi-million pound transformation of the NEC in Birmingham. Included in this transformation was the facelift of the façade. The new design included patterned coloured panels and 37 tensile fabric pyramids, designed by Base Structures. Each translucent pyramid was to be backlit to create a more attractive and engaging environment for all stakeholders. Studiotech assisted Base Structures by providing the detailed design, supply, installation and programming of the feature lighting. They chose to use Traxon Washer Allegro RGB LED luminaires to wash gracefully behind the pyramids. The complex façade design meant that a number of trades were involved in completing this facelif
South Africa - Johannesburg’s Joburg Theatre has taken delivery of 10 Robe Robin 800 LEDWash units, supplied through DWR. The new lighting fixtures will complement vibrant productions being staged over the festive season including Snow White the fairest Panto in All the Land!, Helen O’Grady, Sati - Shivas Beloved and Mukokoli Live DVD recording. “There has been no looking back since the theatre first started investing in Robin 800 LEDWash a few years ago," says Enos Ramoroko, technical manager at the theatre. "They have really worked well for us and we are pleased to now have 34 units in total." "The Robins really are the work horses of the industry and for the theatre to have added more 800s to their stock is a game changer," says Kevin Stannett from DWR. "I would like to thank Enos and the Joburg Theatre for your valued support, and to all South African
Greece - The new Athens Marriott on Syggrou Avenue has been created by an impressive renovation of the former Metropolitan Athens Hotel. The hotel is located opposite the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, a cultural complex that houses the National Library of Greece and the National Opera, and the hotel’s roof top bar overlooks the Acropolis, the Aegean Sea and the Opera. Five-star rated and with 385 guest and executive rooms, the Marriott is now one of the largest and most luxurious hotels in Athens. In addition to its guest rooms and dining, spa and fitness facilities, the Athens Marriott has eight multi-function event rooms. With a combined space of more than 1,000m2 and a capacity of around 1,000 persons, these rooms provide for both business and social events. As part of the renovation, the specialist integrator ABAS was commissioned to design and ins
UK - NEC Group Arenas has taken two electrical apprentices on a three-year placement with the Group’s Arenas ElectriX team. Liam Dyde, 21, and Mohammed Waseem, 28, will receive mentoring as they bid to complete their NVQ Level 3 in electrics. Throughout their apprenticeship, Dyde and Waseem will gain theoretical and practical knowledge and be involved in testing, inspection and delivery of the electrical supplies. One day per week in term time will also be spent at Solihull College & University Centre for additional practical and theory lessons. NEC Group Arenas chief electrician and mentor Peter Hammond comments: “There is a noticeable skills gap in the arenas electrical industry, something that we too have noticed with our in-house team. As skilled individuals retire, there’s be a decline in numbers of those able to step into their positions. With d
Canada - University of Toronto’s newly built Principal Hall is designed to serve as a multi-dimensional public platform for the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design (DFALD). To ensure the highest quality of audio, the University tapped Mulvey & Banani Audio Visual (MBAV) to assist in the design of a sound reinforcement system consisting of EM Acoustics loudspeakers. With seating for 400 people, the design of the hall allows for multiple configurations and uses, ensuring maximum utility for students and faculty, and greater flexibility for a wide range of events. “The compact size and audio quality of EM Acoustics loudspeakers was a driving factor in deciding to use them at Principal Hall,” explains Gregory Rushton, vice-president, MBAV. “The loudspeakers were required to fit into five-inch spaces between wood slats covering a
Indonesia - Bandung’s GBI Aruna Church recently invested in a new audio system built around the IS-Series from Adamson Systems Engineering for a flagship 1,600-capacity venue. The church welcomes over 16,000 weekly congregants across its 15 campuses. Built in 2007, GBI Aruna has enjoyed significant growth over the years and its pastoral team made the decision to upgrade its house audio system for the second time in mid-2018. The church invited representatives from three loudspeaker manufacturers to demo their systems in the main sanctuary. After extensive evaluations, the IS-Series system comprised of IS7 two-way, full-range cabinets and IS118 and E218 subwoofers showcased by Big Knob Audio, Adamson’s Indonesian distributor, was chosen for the project. “The Adamson IS7 is so lightweight and compact, it’s amazing to experience such powerful sound coming fr
Sweden - Around 50 Chroma-Q Inspire XT LED house lights have been fitted in the Västerås concert hall in Sweden. The concert hall is home to an orchestra that requires a quiet environment to perform in, a key aspect that had to be considered during the upgrade of the existing house lights. Stage technical manager Per Andersson comments: “I chose the Inspire XT because there are no fans, which is a must for us since we house a classical orchestra, The orchestra is really happy with the brighter lights when they are rehearsing, and from a technical point of view, it is very easy to change the colour when I am asked. The other benefit for me is that they are more energy efficient; we went from 47 fixtures at 575W to 47 at 120W, and most of the fixtures are just on around 60%.” (Jim Evans)
