Sound & Communications October 20, 2008 Issue

Denver’s Largest DomeMile Hi Church blends striking aestheticswith functional AV outfitting.By Dawn AllcotMile Hi Church, a Religious Science/Scienceof Mind church in DenverCO, more than doubled its worshipcapacity with the construction of a new1600-seat sanctuary. The impressivestructure is the third largest buildingon the church’s campus, and thelargest dome building in metropolitanDenver. The new construction alsoleaves room for further expansion,with the addition of balcony seatingplanned for the future.The AV aspects of the project,which cost about $400,000, add webcastingand broadcast capabilities,along with cross-campus distributionof AV to the old sanctuary, which isstill in use, the lobby, green rooms,and infant and toddler rooms.To assist in the design of the systems,the church called on DenverCO-based D.L. Adams Associates,Inc., a full-service design and consultingfirm. Ford Audio-Video Systems,Inc., won the bid to completethe installation. The full-service designand installation firm, founded asFord Audio & Acoustics, has been inbusiness since 1973 and has officesin Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas, LasVegas, Austin, Houston and Denver.The project team for Mile Hi Church,out of the Denver office, includedAndrew Welker, project engineer,Acoustical clouds help keep sound from reverberating throughthe dome-shaped structure.Jon Stella, project manager, and WillSchmetzer, job superintendent.“It was exciting to work on thischurch,” said Dan Purdom, projectengineer at Ford AV. “The churchwent all out. They have an incredible9½-foot grand piano with an extraoctave of keys, an organ, a YamahaM7CL digital mixing console, a JBLline array, two 16-foot-wide rearprojection screens….They wantedtop-of-the-line, state-of-the-art AVsystems. On staff, they have professionalmusicians who play everyweek; they wanted to make suretheir message is heard.”The church holds one Wednesdaynight service and three Sundaymorning services, as well as memorials,weddings and special events inthe new space. Each service usesa full praise band, with vocalists,guitars, horns and cello, plus thepiano and organ. Shortly after thenew sanctuary’s opening in Spring2008, Kenny Loggins played there.The new sanctuary holds 1600 worshippers,nearly double the capacityof the former, 850-seat space. “Inaddition to needing more seats, wewanted a bigger stage in the newbuilding, better acoustics, bettersound and video…all those things,”said Nathan Marschall, the church’saudio coordinator.Purdom added that cross-campusdistribution of AV was also importantto the client, and a Crestron controlsystem and Extron matrix switcherhelped make that happen.The former sanctuary had feedbackissues, with mics located directlyunder the main PA. Marschallsaid that one of the primary needsin the new sanctuary was goodacoustics, which were absent in theformer space. The new dome-shapedsanctuary, which became one of theAll photos: James A. FordDawn Allcot is a freelance writer specializing in the audiovisual and health and fitness industries.18 Sound & Communicationswww.soundandcommunications.com