The Emmanuel Centre, part of Westminster's Emmanuel Evangelical Church, commissioned Orbital to install a new d&b audiotechnik Q-Series loudspeaker system for one of its mainstream conference rooms, used regularly by political parties and large corporates.
At St George's Cathedral, Southwark, Orbital was brought in by the cathedral architect Jonathan Louth Architects to install a new Tannoy D-i5 system as part of a refurbishment programme of the Archbishop Amigo Jubilee Hall, in a joint project with CAFOD. In both cases, Orbital Sound was responsible for the system supply, installation and commissioning.
Located within a Grade 2 listed building, the conference centre at the Emmanuel Evangelical Church comprises the principal Auditorium that seats 1000, plus two smaller rooms with a capacity of 250 each. Head of Sound, Richard Edwards has been involved with the venue for more than 10 years, and was looking for a new system for the 250-capacity Upper Hall. A major objective was to improve the overall sound quality, after persistent complaints about audibility and clarity. The traditional church-shaped room presents a host of acoustic challenges, with stone pillars, alcoves, and hard, reflective surfaces.
Edwards comments, "Orbital set up a comparative test with a number of different d&b systems, and the Q-Series suited the room perfectly. The building's listed status puts us under rigid constraints - we cannot simply implement other damping or treatment to overcome the room's challenges, and a front-fill system would have required planning permission. We therefore rely 100% on the main pair of speakers to provide full room coverage.
The Emmanuel Centre is also the UK's first user of the new d&b audiotechnik 2-way high performance M6 stage monitor system, purchasing five M6 cabinets, together with a single M4 unit - all supplied by Orbital.
Orbital's association with St George's Cathedral dates back to 2006, providing new public address and audio installations in the Cathedral itself, under the auspices of Paul Gillieron Acoustic Design. The refurbishment project within the parish centre involved the second phase of a project to update a 1939 hall adjacent to CAFOD's new headquarters, being built in the grounds of the cathedral - CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development) is the official overseas development and relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
The first phase of this joint initiative with CAFOD had involved dividing the double-height Amigo Hall horizontally into two and commissioning the first floor, with Orbital installing the sound and CCTV system, and an induction loop. In late 2009, the ground floor phase commenced, with Jonathan Louth Architects (JLA) bringing Orbital in to evaluate the possibility of installing a second induction loop, together with putting in the new Tannoy D-i5 sound system.
Bill Hodge of JLA reports, "We were impressed with Orbital, who acted in a true consultancy fashion, assessing the feasibility of the second induction loop, in conjunction with a specialist. We were advised that it was physically impossible, therefore avoiding a costly investment to no effect. Orbital worked with us to fit up the speakers and control systems, completing the room on schedule."
(Jim Evans)
