Sound reinforcement systems, architecture and acoustics should work together as well as possible on every project. The irony, of course, is that they so often don’t.

The root of the problem usually lies in the lateness with which system/acoustical professionals are brought into a project, generally too late to have any meaningful influence in merging the room and its systems into a cohesive unit. A recent exception can be found at the new worship sanctuary of Crossroads Community Church, located in Vancouver, WA, where full-service design firm Sound Technology Consultants was invited to join the project at a very early stage.

“This project was unique because we were brought in before the architect had done any room design,” explains Vance Breshears, principal consultant of the Alpine, CA company. “Credit must be given to the church leadership and technical staff for having the foresight to make this happen, because it makes a big difference in the outcome.”

Room shaping was merged with systems design at the Crossroads sanctuary.

Sound Technology Consultants, which counts church applications among its systems design and acoustical specialties, gladly took on initial responsibilities that included working with the architect in properly designing the room for optimized system and acoustical performance. This included room shaping, seating layout, and systems design and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Spectrum Design Group of Oklahoma City supplied all system equipment installation and commensurate engineering services.

Crossroads Community Church features a renowned contemporary music program under the creative influence and direction of Music Director Jason Ritchie. The quality of the programming is consistently high in terms of both quality and entertainment value.

The Acoustical Side

“Our goal over the last several years has been figuring out ways of making a room work well acoustically, to shape it, in order to meet two conflicting acoustical requirements – quite controlled or ‘dry’ for reinforced music, yet at the same time reflective or ‘live’, better for congregational group worship,” Breshears says. “Our design includes sound treatment, either diffusive, absorptive or reflective, at virtually all wall and ceiling surfaces. If you look into the room where the loud speakers are located, for example, you’ll see an absorptive surface. However, if you’re in the congregation area looking at the room, the view is that of reflective surfaces. It’s the combination that helps accomplish much of what we were looking to do.”

Using EASE modeling as his basic template, Breshears created an accurate mock-up that helped put him and “inside” the Crossroads sanctuary before it even existed. “The program presents a good way to get a subjective feel for evaluating difference options and for seeing how it’s going to turn out,” he notes. “Once you have the modeled, you can walk around, so to speak, and see what surfaces are at what angles, and how much sound is going to be hitting those surfaces and where its going to go.”

What resulted from the process are unique acoustical clouds, built to specification by the general building contractor, which have two segments.

Unique two-segment acoustical panels – absorptive at the front, reflective at the back.

A front segment, angled toward the front platform, is covered with an absorptive fiberglass material, while a segment angled toward the rear of the room is more reflective. The result is that the energy of reinforced music originating from the platform (and main loudspeaker system flown above it) is deadened to a considerable degree, while sound energy originating from the audience is reflected pleasantly through the seating area.

Further acoustical treatments include more fiberglass on wall surfaces, as well as a “split-face” concrete block arrangement that adds diffusive properties that further curtail reflections in addition to enhancing aesthetics. Even more absorptive panels reside behind the platform, curtailing early energy “bounce” generated by the amplified musicians from bouncing too strongly into the room. And, Breshears adds, the acoustic signature of the room remains relatively unaltered regardless of attendance for a given service.

More panels on the back wall.

“What we’re looking at, mostly, is direct sound and where it goes, what surfaces it is most primarily directed at,” he says. “The answers to these types of questions are then along the lines of where acoustical treatment should be, and further, should it be absorptive, diffusive or reflective in nature. That’s really the key.”