LANCASTER, PA – Blending the modern with the traditional is always a challenge, particularly when it comes to architectural landmarks. Such was the case with the Lancaster County Convention Center, a $170 million facility designed to fit within the classic 19th century Pennsylvania Dutch façade of the city's landmark Watt and Shand department store.
The Convention Center is designed for versatility, with a 46,000 square foot exhibit hall, 9,000 square foot ballroom and numerous other meeting areas. This same versatility also presented the biggest challenges in creating an audio system suitable for the space, explains Daniel Rohrer of Sage Technology Solutions in Mt. Joy, Penn.
"Aside from addressing the vast differences in the architecture of each different space, we also faced issues of scheduling and coordinating the various phases of the project, building around the historical Watt and Shand façade and meeting the aggressive opening date," said Rohrer.
The distributed system is centered on 113 Community CLOUD12-66 in-ceiling loudspeakers, along with 12 CLOUD6 models. Long-throw reinforcement across the outside areas is served by 24 Community R.5-66TZ three-way full-range systems.
"The ceilings throughout most of the facility are 20 feet and higher, which can be challenging in a large open environment," said Rohrer. "The CLOUD series loudspeakers were selected for their excellent coverage and intelligibility."
The system, designed by Gaithersburg, MD-based Electro-Media Design, is zoned using Biamp Audia DSP, with Crestron touch panels controlling room combining. Ashly amplification powers the system.
The Convention Center has more than met its goal of versatility, with recent events ranging from music festivals and conferences to historic home shows and even the American Quilters' Society Show.
For more information, please visit www.communitypro.com.
