Electricity near Casa de Dios, Guatemala’s fastest-growing church, is expensive and often unstable. Still, that couldn’t be an excuse for audio, video and lighting consultant and integrator Michael Garrison Associates as it provided power management and other solutions for its 12,000-seat sanctuary and two 250-seat and 350-seat children’s theaters.
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The Fresno, Calif.-based AVL consulting firm specified LynTec electrical power control solutions main sanctuary as well as the new theaters.
“LynTec is a standard on our projects, but it was especially vital as we worked out the logistics of working in Guatemala on a project of this scope,” says Michael Garrison, president and principal consultant, MGA.
“The proven safety and universal platform of LynTec’s power management control and audio, video and lighting solutions eliminated managing additional overhead and hurdles within our design and installation process. We knew that it would provide the power protection and user-friendly control the facility needed while enabling us to simplify the wiring for the electricians.”
To understand the stakes of this ambitious AVL project, it’s important to reflect on Casa de Dios and its unique challenges.
Fastest-Growing Church in Guatemala
Not only is Casa de Dios the largest church in Guatemala, it’s the fastest-growing, too, according to a LynTec press release.
Founded in 1994 by Pastor Carlos “Cash” Luna and his wife Sonia Luna, the small gathering initially met in a family living room – but not for long. The burgeoning community moved several times in a short time period, from a hotel ballroom, to the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala’s auditorium, to a 550-seat building known as “La Bodeguita,” where every night parishioners and viewers experienced the revival that became one of the defining characteristics of the church’s ministries.
Technology at Casa de Dios features audio, video and lighting controlled by Lyntech.
To continue to meet the rapidly expanding membership and the diverse nature of their ministries, the organization built a 3,500-seat sanctuary in 1999.
And, since the growth showed no signs of slowing down, Pastor Cash assembled a team in 2006 to design and build a new campus to include a 12,000-seat sanctuary.
MGA was chosen to assist in the architectural planning for this large room, as well as to design and integrate the audio, video, lighting and acoustic systems for all the assembly rooms throughout the entire facility.
But by November 2008, each week more than 20,000 people were cramming into one of the five Sunday services the church offered, adding a sense of urgency to the new construction project.
So, Pastor Cash directed the team to focus on completion of the main auditorium complex as “Phase 1” — which was inaugurated in April 2013 — and to defer the build-out of the 5-story office complex and the two nearly identical children’s theaters on opposite sides of the main building.
Click for photos of Casa de Dios
Accommodating Rapid Growth
Work on Phase 2 began in early 2015 and was completed mid-2016. MGA was commissioned to update the technical systems designs for the two theaters – a 250-seat room on the south and a 350-seat room on the north.
The theaters would be enriched with a robust collective of audio, video, and lighting equipment, along with the requisite acoustic treatment.
MGA’s audio design called for:
- Martin Audio CCD Series loudspeakers
- Martin Audio CXS Series subwoofers
- Lab.gruppen D Series amplifiers
- Midas M32 digital consoles
- Shure wireless microphone package
The theaters received a full-scale stage lighting and house lighting fixture setup. The stage lighting package included:
- ETC Sensor dimmer racks and ION consoles
- ETC Source 4 Spots
- ETC ColorSource Series LED lighting fixture
- Elation Lighting PAR Series LED fixtures
- Elation Lighting Platinum Series LED automated fixtures
- Elation Lighting Rayzor Series fast wash moving heads
For house lighting, MGA selected:
- Elation Lighting Colour Pendant Series LED fixtures
- Elation Lighting Flex Series LED tape
Casa de Dios utilized a locally-sourced LED video wall for both theaters.
Related: 6 Ways the Large Venue Integration Market Is Evolving
As with the 12,000-seat auditorium, the new theaters called for a power management and control solution capable of supporting such extensive AVL systems.
Because of the region’s electricity challenges, the system had to meet the requirements for simple installation, straightforward on-and-off control via MGA’s chosen RS-232 Extron control platform, and critical protection during electrical surges that are common in Guatemala.
Turning Attention to Two Theaters
Having successfully met all the requirements of the 12,000-seat auditorium, MGA once again specified LynTec electrical power control solutions for the new theaters. LynTec’s RPC remote control breaker panels simplified the power management control portion of the project by equipping the space with one convenient motorized control breaker source that was familiar to project electricians.
Leveraging the power of the LynTec RPC panels MGA specified as part of its design, Casa de Dios could realize its vision for incredible lighting, audio and video control within its new children’s’ theaters.
Built on a universally recognized Square D hardware foundation, the RPC panels’ standard design eliminated both the complications of work with custom designed and manufactured products and the additional step of installing and connecting a separate relay panel.
Electricians can easily wire the system while providing additional circuit switching control capabilities in the same enclosure.
The LynTec RPC panel enabled affordable, clean power management control for each of the theaters’ AVL systems. The panels also provided proper on/off power sequencing, delivering vital audio protection from in-rush damage.
In addition, the system is designed to extend the life of the AV systems and cut down on energy costs and maintenance of the facility’s LED lighting system via control from any computer or mobile device for remote management.
The RPC series features a flexible architecture that will also enable the organization to add more circuits in the same horizontal wall space to control a greater number of components, as their needs grow over time.
The RPC panels support 48-, 66-, and 84-circuit breaker positions with no increase in enclosure width. Because of this comprehensive package, integrators can easily set up, program, monitor, and control loads on a circuit-specific level.
Audio, video and lighting solutions are controlled with a LynTec RPC panel.
Accessible from any web-enabled device, the audio, video and lighting solutions provide a complete overview and allow users to take action remotely, resulting in greater installation flexibility, more efficient power control, and the ability to provide direct on/off control for LED lighting.
The panelboards also enabled built-in under- and over-voltage protection, optional customizable sequential circuit level on/off capabilities, and the ability to interface with third-party control systems via contact closure, TCP/IP, DMX, or RS-232.
Leveraging the power of the LynTec RPC panels MGA specified as part of its design, Casa de Dios could realize its vision for incredible audio, video and lighting control within its new children’s’ theaters.
The systems provide safe power management sequencing for the AV systems, while providing efficient, reliable lighting control for the 120-volt non-dimmable lighting system within the space. Using an Extron RS-232 control platform, the tech team is able to properly power on and shut down every component in each theater at just a push of a button.
As a result, the entire facility is easy and straight-forward to operate while providing affordable power management control and much needed power protection.
Click for photos of Casa de Dios
