Calvin Theological Seminary
ABD Engineering & Design worked with Dan Vos Construction to offer expert consultation in: audio-visual design, architectural acoustics, building systems noise control, and vibration control. We used EASE computer modeling to calculate the reverberation time and speaker coverage areas for the chapel. Our professional engineers developed a plan to optimize the space for a wide variety of applications, from the spoken word to high tech performances.
The acoustics of the space were fair, but Calvin College wanted to make them even better. In addition, we recommended relocating the pipe organ to the rear of the Chapel resulting in a significantly better sounding space that looks great.
Our design included line drawings, rack layouts, control systems, connection interfaces, and technical documents which the architect incorporated into the project documents. We carefully designed the video presentation elements to be “canvases” for displaying art, rather than just a video screen stuck on the wall. We also made recommendations for construction features and acoustical finishes that would minimize reverberation time, maximize speech intelligibility, and optimize the facility for clear communication.
