To an architect, a support column is a piece of a structural puzzle, an aesthetic yet practical element in an overall design. To a builder, it’s an engineering tool, perhaps a means of keeping a domed ceiling afloat. To the AV systems designer and integrator, the column is an annoyance that needs to be gotten around. Somehow.
What happens when a sound system or a projector runs up against an apparently immovable architectural object in a worship space?
As houses of worship increase their use of sound and video systems, it’s inevitable that those systems will find potential foils in the buildings’ architecture and construction. What happens when a sound system or a projector runs up against an apparently immovable architectural object in a worship space? It can be a wall, a column, a statue, or some other solid element that may need to remain where it is for structural or aesthetic reasons. The columns and low-hanging balconies were always there; it’s the wider implementation of AV that has to accommodate their reality.
Laws of physics
“We can’t change the laws of physics, but we can often use these obstacles as an opportunity to bring the message closer to the congregation,” comments Nicholas Correa, AV consultant at Jaffe Holden. “It’s no secret we are reinforcing the sermon and magnifying the worship leader, so invite the obstruction to be part of the worship experience by placing a speaker on the column or integrating projections or a display on the wall.”
Single-problem solutions such as a speaker on a column need to be fully integrated into a system’s design, such as with an appropriate delay that will match the arrival of sound from other directions.
Correa says that’s the most common solution, especially in house of worship remodeling projects where architectural elements are fixed for structural or aesthetic reasons. “There are a lot of locations you can place speakers in, and today speakers are smaller and have form factors that let them better integrate into churches, such as columnar forms,” he says. However, having the products isn’t enough; Correa says that solving one small aspect of a problematic space — a single column or other obstruction — can have a knock-on effect on the rest of the system. Single-problem solutions such as a speaker on a column need to be fully integrated into a system’s design, such as with an appropriate delay that will match the arrival of sound from other directions. Contemporary speaker technology can also help, with the use of mechanical or DSP beam steering, which will keep sound on specific areas and off of others.
“Start with where the sound has to go and work back from there, in terms of the choice of system type." Nicholas Correa, AV Consultant, Jaffe Holden
Another solution for spaces with many structural impediments is to change the basis of the system, from a point-source or line-array type to a distributed-speaker approach. That’s the solution Correa used for a Harlem church several years ago in which he removed a two-point PA system and replaced it with d&b audiotechnik surface-mount speakers. “Start with where the sound has to go and work back from there, in terms of the choice of system type,” he suggests.
Moving light
Despite Albert Einstein’s assertion that light can be bent, obstructions to visual media are harder to work around than sonic ones. A technical solution to getting projected images around obstructions is the use of multiple projectors and edge-blending software, which can achieve a true seamless image by overlapping the edges of a split image on a single screen. In order to create a seamless single image, converging projectors need to overlap image edges slightly and, to compensate for the double brightness this creates in those areas, the projectors needs to selectively adjust its brightness for the pixels in this overlap region. That’s where the software comes in. It works, but of course requires at least two projectors.
Correa says solutions include the splitting of images into two separate screens instead of one, when obstructions in front of projectors cannot be removed. That, however, can diminish the impact of a large image magnification (IMAG) projection.
“If we have an obstacle for projection, we’re pushing for LED wall usage, or displays in a smaller room.” Duke DeJong, Vice President of Sales and Integration, CCI Solutions
Another solution is to abjure the use of projection altogether, opting instead for LED walls. “We’ve not entertained the idea of edge-blending projectors in that situation because projectors constantly are moving [due to heat and vibrations] and re-blending has to happen on a regular basis,” says Duke DeJong, vice president of sales and integration at integrator CCI Solutions. “If we have an obstacle for projection, we’re pushing for LED wall usage, or displays in a smaller room.”
There is still a cost differential between projection and LED, says Correa. “But that’s changing pretty quickly,” he adds. “Depending upon the size of the space, the nature of the obstructions and how much of a problem they are, and the budget, it may be worth going for LED vs. projection as the solution.”
