The hoists - all three tonne Liftkets - are utilised to fly five separate rectangular acoustic roof panels, each suspended by 10 hoists. These each move individually with up to 4m of vertical travel, the idea being to create a fully flexible acoustic space offering the optimum sonic environment for a wide variety of performances - from choral and orchestral works to experimental and electronic.
Each panel weighs approximately 15 tonnes. The internal aluminium ceiling structure consists of a trussing grid designed to take a weight of up to 100 tonnes - including all the panels and motors.
Kinesys' Dave Weatherhead worked closely with the Unusual team, led by crew chief Chris Monahan and project manager Mike Philpott, and went to site to fit the control system once all the motors were in place.
The fixed speed Liftket hoists are encoded, so this was an ideal scenario for the Smart 8 controller, which allows these hoists to be programmed and controlled from a single unit. The seven Smart 8 units offer a total of 56 ways of control, and substantial cost savings over the traditional approach of a combination of separate motor controllers and a position controller.
Kinesys fitted the seven controllers inside a master installation cabinet together with a custom Emergency Stop unit, Ethernet hub and all the other system elements. Linked to this were two additional termination chambers allowing the motor controllers to be easily hard-wired into the building system.
At the front end, Kinesys' PC-based Vector software is installed, complete with a specially tailored touch screen, offering an easy-to-use graphical display. This also allows the different ceiling panels (1-5) to be selected one at a time from a small bespoke control panel and then run up, down or to position.
The Kinesys controllers also monitor a collision detection limit switch system that is fitted to the ceiling panels. This prevents the moving ceiling pieces and two PA speaker cabinets - which run through some of the acoustic panels - from touching and causing damage to each other.
Before leaving site, Kinesys provided training on their system for all the venue's project and technical managers.
Dave Weatherhead comments: "It was great to be working with Unusual and be involved in an installation of this profile. The end result achieves everything that is required of it in a discreet and very efficient manner".
During the inaugural months of October/November, a rich variety of concerts are being staged at the Acusticum including new works by Sven-David Sandström, Marcus Fjellström, Christian Lindberg and Jan Sandströme, performed by the Erik Westbergs Vokalensemble.
(Jim Evans)
