Ivanhoe Grammar School is a consistently high-achieving independent Anglican, co-educational, day school, located in Ivanhoe and Plenty, both located in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
Having assisted Ivanhoe Grammar with numerous AV projects and classroom installations over a number of years, DIB has developed a strong relationship with the school. So, when they required AV for their historic chapel, they contacted DIB to provide a unique AV solution.
In 2014 Ivanhoe Grammar School purchased St Paul’s Church, a disused chapel from the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo. The Chapel was built in 1883 and comes from Mitiamo – 60kms from Bendigo. In order to prepare the church for delivery, the roof was taken off and transported separately. It was then meticulously restored onsite at the Plenty campus.
Chapel delivered to Ivanhoe Grammar’s Plenty Campus
Different stages of the Restoration process inside the chapel
COMPLETED AV installation in Chapel
Completed hidden AV installation with system switched off
AV installation switched on with ScreenTechnics motorised screens displaying images from twin Epson EB-G6050W projectors
From the beginning, this was a unique project that required attention to detail and consultation between the builders, electricians and DIB technicians and consultants throughout the entire process. Many of the cabling and fabrication of custom equipment was required to be finalised whilst the building was being restored.
Collaboration between different parties involved in the project
A minimalistic approach to the project was taken, in which the AV system was to be seen and heard when required, but to vanish away (concealed) when not in use. This was not an easy task, with many conversations between the school’s chaplain, maintenance manager and DIB Australia to come to an AV solution that did not impede on the aesthetic appeal of the historic building.
To come to a workable AV solution, many calculations, estimations and revisions of the installation were required, with each detail to be confirmed to make sure all components of the installation would work within the confined unique parameters that the building presented for location of both screens and projectors.
A customised cupboard that would blend into the building was made for the AV installation. This would house all equipment that would normally be located in an AV rack. Two control panels and BOSE subwoofer (with ventilation grills for sound to escape) were also placed within this custom-built cupboard to keep the system hidden.
Hidden AV rack (corner of room) keeps the aesthetic appeal of the Chapel
Closer look at the hidden AV rack inside the custom-made cabinet, matching the aesthetics inside the Chapel
A BOSE FreeSpace 3 sound system (with smaller cube speakers) would provide quality sound, whilst keeping with the minimalistic theme for the space.
Close up of BOSE cube speaker (BOSE FreeSpace 3 sound system)
The main hurdle to overcome was the choice and placement of projectors and screens, that would keep the system hidden. For this installation, two Epson EB-G6050W projectors were used in a cross-throw configuration, which were concealed above a custom-built, false shelf in the entranceway of the chapel. Then, two customised ScreenTechnics 65” motorised projector screens were carefully installed to fit above the doors on either side of the front of the chapel. Another key attention to detail was the custom black paint colour that was applied to the projector’s screen housing, to match the colour of the cross beams inside the chapel, helping them to be more concealed.
A JED T460 control panel was chosen to keep uniformity of control panels throughout the Ivanhoe School, making it easy-to-use for any staff member to use the AV system. This is keeping with DIB’s ethos of making systems as easy to use as possible, even though extra programming was required to allow the inclusion of the different elements of the AV system to work with the JED T460 control panel.
In addition to the JED T460, an Ashly WR-5 NE control panel was installed to allow ease-of-use for the volume control of each component of the AV system, including microphones, audio and projector.
Close up of JED T460 and Ashly WR-5 NE control panels inside the custom-made cabinet
To give excellent clarity for teachers or guest speakers, two Sennheiser microphones (handheld and lapel) were installed as part of the system (Sennheiser EW 345 G3 MME845 handheld system and Sennheiser EW322 G3 ME4 lapel system). Apple TV was also installed as part of the AV system, along with an energy-efficient, auto-power-down featured Lab Gruppen E42 amplifier to power the BOSE speakers. The Ashly ne8800 DSP (network enabled) was used for the processing of audio from projectors, microphones and iPods to be sent to the BOSE speakers.
Input plates for HDMI, VGA and iPod connection were discretely located, so that they did not impose on the historic nature of the building.
Close up of HDMI, VGA, microphone and iPod inputs and how they are tucked in behind wall (out of sight)
After much collaboration and dedication, DIB have designed and installed an easy-to-use, modern-day AV system within the historic chapel, with a minimal changes to the aesthetic appeal of the historic building. By listening closely with the school and other contractors, DIB have added a unique AV system that reflects Ivanhoe Grammar’s approach of excellence in education.
For an link to the official Ivanhoe Grammar article on the dedication of the Plenty Chapel, click here
To view another quality church audio visual installation, using a concealed AV approach, click here.
For assistance with your custom audio visual requirements, contact a DIB Audio Visual Solutions Consultant today Phone (03) 9457-4800 or contact us