NEWS Archives - AVL Designs, Inc.

The auditorium at Bolivar Richburg is a historical building. The space has many attractive features such as decorative curtains on windows and Detailed woodwork. Though these features are nice, none of these attributes enhance its primary use as a theater. The stage and other aspects of the auditorium were found to be totally outdated for modern performance use. AVL Designs Inc. was contracted to work with the CPL Team in renovating the space into a modern performance auditorium.

Bolivar auditorium

Many aspects of the room had to be assessed. The first was the addition of motorized stage rigging. The existing conditions precluded any kind of counterweight system, so we chose to use an ETC fly pipe system on stage to allow access for both adjustments of lighting, use of scenery and other curtains on stage.

There was no ceiling cove to provide front of stage lighting. It was determined that adding a catwalk was impractical. In lieu of a catwalk a motorized truss had to be added. This allows both fixed and motorized lighting fixtures to be positioned in front of the stage to light the pit floor as well as the stage. Side wall tormentor locations were also added to improve lighting angles to the pit area and front of the stage.

An entirely new sound system was designed to provide enhanced coverage of the main seating area, over balcony, and under balcony areas. This is all controlled from a digital audio console that also allows for iPad control. A fully automated day-to-day sound control system was also included.

New HD projection and screens were included, as well as Crestron controls to select video inputs, as well as projector and screen control. All of the extensive window curtains were also included in the renovation. The AVL Design team located a fabric manufacturer that could simulate the original look of these curtains. The Contractor did a spectacular job of implementing that aspect of the project.

Historical chandeliers in the space that utilize candelabra lamps were retrofitted with LED devices. This provides for a higher lighting output while maintaining the look of the historical auditorium.

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A Tale of Two Cafetoriums

Cafetoriums present a unique challenge in many respects. Combining the use of the same space as a cafeteria and for performance is an acoustic dilemma. If the space is too live, it will be noisy during lunch. If it’s too dead, it will produce a dry and lifeless sound when it comes to music. Over time we have developed a formula that works well for these spaces: we take out a significant amount of higher frequency energy to create a warmer sounding space that still is live enough for music. .

cafetorium

Two such spaces in the Horseheads Central School District are the Gardner Road Elementary School, and Horseheads Middle School. The Gardner Road project was a renovation with specific limited parameters. The design team at Hunt Engineering Architectural took our acoustic concepts and turned them into a unique patterning on the walls and the ceilings using lighting elements to create dimensional shapes. .

cafetorium 1

AVL then added all of the required lighting, stage rigging, audio and AV components to the space to complete the capabilities desired by the district. Day-to-day users are relatively automated but there are also performance consoles For both lighting and sound to allow for more sophisticated performances. .

The middle school was an expansion of an existing cafeteria including extended height in the middle of the room. Acoustic treatments including roof deck were designed into the space to control the sound of the enlarged room of volume. Larger quantities of absorption were used in the back of the room to account for frequency shift. .

Lighting was integrated with the acoustical clouds added into the room in front of the stage. Stage rigging and curtains were included with a motorized cyclorama, due to the low stage height not allowing counterweight rigging. High-definition projectors were included for both spaces with Crestron controls. .

Large flat screen monitors are located further back in the space allow group huddle sessions at each monitor location or they can project content coming from the stage from the streaming camera.

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The New Depew Cayuga Heights School Auditorium

Cayuga Elementary auditorium

The Cayuga Heights Elementary School in the Depew Union Free School District was performing their shows in the high school auditorium. They had no auditorium of their own, which was limiting the number and types of performances they could offer.

Cayuga Depew auditorium

Young + Wright Architectural was enlisted by the district to design an entirely new auditorium for the elementary school. AVL Designs Inc., in turn, came onboard as the theatrical consultant.

Cayuga auditorium

AVL’s work scope included providing acoustical analysis and an acoustic design to create the best overall sound for the auditorium. Additionally, we crafted plans for the stage rigging, theatrical lighting, professional audio and AV design, plus interrelated systems such as intercom and camera systems.

Cayuga Auditorium 1

The budget did not allow for a full height fly space on stage or cat walks in the main auditorium, so our design team worked to come up with a Dead Hung stage and two Dead Hung front of stage front of house lighting positions that allow quality performance capabilities even with the Dead Hung space. The new auditorium has been commissioned, is in use, and has been well received.

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Big Flats School Gymnasium / Auditorium

The recently completed Big Flats gymnasium/auditorium in Horseheads, New York presented typical challenges of multi-use spaces, particularly acoustics.

Bog Flats school

Gymnasiums often lack acoustic treatment suitable for stage performances. To compound the issue, without fixed seating there is less absorption to control reverberation which makes a room overly reverberant when not fully occupied.

Big Flats auditorim

Most gymnasiums are rectangular in shape and have sound echoing issues. To address this, a masonry diffusor block from RPG was installed opposite the loudspeakers to disperse sound waves and reduce echo.

Big Flats

Side wall acoustic panels were added to reduce reverberation when the room is not fully seated, or is being used as a gym, creating a pleasant-sounding gym and performance space. An acoustic roof deck was also installed to aid in reverberation control.

Big Flats

Lighting fixtures for the front of the stage were placed in protective cages. The SSRC light cage used is excellent for this purpose.

The loudspeakers were selected for their acoustic qualities and impact resistance.

Big Flats rolling rack

The mixing console is kept in a rolling rack when not in use and can be run daily from an iPad. Lighting controls are also operated via touch screen or portable console.

In collaboration with Hunt Engineers, Architects & Surveyors, AVL Designs Inc. created a versatile space that meets the needs of Big Flats School.

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URMC Saunders Center for Orthopaedics & Physical Performance

URMC orthopedics bldg

University of Rochester Medical Center’s new Saunders Center for Orthopaedics & Physical Performance is located in the south end of the Marketplace Mall in Henrietta, New York. This brand-new outpatient orthopaedics facility has been created to provide greater convenience for patients accessing healthcare services.

AVL Designs Inc. provided acoustical isolation of the new URMC spaces from the existing and operational mall area, bus stops, and parking lots.

AVL Designs Inc. also crafted the acoustic designs for interiors in the lobby, meeting and conference rooms, and large lecture hall. The design intent was to provide spaces that would not require amplification for many functions, while also being excellent for streaming and teleconferencing.

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