We can thank the monks of the Middle Ages for more than their theological transcriptions — they also helped illuminate churches in other ways, such as the pieces of a stained glass window that date from 686 AD at St. Paul’s Monastery in Jarrow, England.
Today, houses of worship are lit using an array of lighting technologies, including those developed for theatrical and broadcast applications. The diversity of lighting technology means that church designers and specifiers have more options than ever before for new-build and retrofit projects.
Multipurpose lighting
Luke Delwiche, entertainment market manager for lighting solutions developer Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC), says that house-of-worship (HOW) designers need to recognize that the same service may need to be lit for more than one purpose, including lighting the stage for theatrical and musical performances, and for the very specific requirements of live broadcast and streaming applications.
He emphasizes, the earlier in the design-and-build stages of a project that those needs are accommodated, the more efficient and cost-effective the overall lighting outcome will be.
“You need to create lighting that can work for more than one need,” he says. “A camera sees differently than a human eye; a camera iris can adjust much more quickly than the eye’s can.”
“You need to create lighting that can work for more than one need. A camera sees differently than a human eye; a camera iris can adjust much more quickly than the eye’s can.” Luke Delwiche, Entertainment Market Manager, ETC
Delwiche recommends that designers include a lighting consultant in their planning, pointing out that getting lighting types and positions correct from the beginning saves a lot of cost and effort later.
“There is an understandable tendency to think, ‘Oh, we need a basic lighting package, something that will light the pastor and perhaps some color change for the stage,’” he says. “But then two years later the worship style has changed, with more music and perhaps live streaming, and the lighting needs to change with it. One thing that experts can do is help with expectations management, planning for the inevitability of change.”
Randy Read, specifications sales manager at ARRI, says a frank conversation with the client is necessary to help users understand what kinds of lighting they will need. “Are they using IMAG [image magnification], or will the services be broadcast, or are they doing both?” he asks. “Each one has its own specific lighting needs, and doing more than one will usually mean some level of compromise has to be made to make lighting effective for both. A good, in-depth conversation at the outset will help get a project started out right.”
Costs & benefits
House-of-worship designers are already benefitting from the steadily declining costs of AVL, thanks mostly to LED when it comes to lighting. That, Delwiche agrees, helps allow for more and more diverse lighting solutions for the same cost. However, he cautions, expectations also expand at the same time.
“You can get a lot more lighting for the same $12 thousand you would have spent a decade ago, certainly,” he says, “but now everyone is also expecting the Academy Awards for that same $12 thousand.”
... designers and specifiers [should] also look into existing light fixtures that can be updated to LED, also saving capex.
He adds that designers and specifiers also look into existing light fixtures that can be updated to LED, also saving capex. For instance, ETC’s widely used Source Four ellipsoidal fixtures using incandescent sources can be converted to LED with the addition of Source 4WRD LED add-on units. Similarly, ETC’s new EchoTouch controller brings digital and highly cost-effective touchscreen control to lighting in architectural and smaller entertainment spaces that can be scaled for users ranging from expert lighting designers (LDs) to entry-level volunteers.
Read emphasizes budgets, as well, but contends that lighting costs, even for mid-sized HOWs, can be substantial as a percentage of the overall project budget, even with LED’s lowering unit prices. He recommends outlining to design clients the cost efficiencies that LED offers in the long run, such as the lower amperage requirements, allowing more fixtures to be used with less infrastructure; lower operating costs due to not having to change bulbs; and lower HVAC cooling costs thanks to LED’s lower temperatures. He points to ARRI’s L Series Fresnels and Sky Panel fixtures as examples of LED products that reduce overall costs over time while delivering superior performance.
“I wouldn’t necessarily emphasize lower product costs, because even though LED costs are declining in some cases, not all are made the same,” Read cautions. “Some use tricks like overdriving the light engine, which makes a fixture brighter initially but cuts down on its useful lifespan,” he says. “Buy with the long term in mind.”
Another area that Delwiche places emphasis is on infrastructure: provisioning for power, data points, and weight loading early in the design process. LED lighting does use less power per fixture, but that combined with lower costs and more diverse lighting needs inevitably leads to more fixtures per venue, and thus potentially increasing the overall demand for power.
LED lighting does use less power per fixture, but that combined with lower costs and more diverse lighting needs inevitably leads to more fixtures per venue, and thus potentially increasing the overall demand for power.
As lighting, along with AV, moves deeper into a networked environment, there will be need for Ethernet drops as part of the lighting grid for control data. And with more lighting fixtures also comes the need to strengthen and expand the trusses that will support them.
“Doing all of that before the walls are up and it’s easier to access will reduce costs,” Delwiche points out. “Infrastructure isn't the sexiest part of lighting, and it will be largely invisible, but it will make a huge difference going forward.”
Read agrees, further suggesting that churches can implement LED lighting on a section-by-section basis on a more relaxed schedule, as long as they provide for a fully realized infrastructure early on.
“A good infrastructure — power and trusses — in the beginning means a church can take its time and install the right LEDs over time and not feel like they have to install — and pay for — everything all at once, if that’s a better strategy for them,” he explains. “Help them think for the long term.”
For more information, contact:
Luke Delwiche, ETC, luke.Delwiche@etcconnect.com; 608.824.5167
Randy Read, ARRI, RRead@ARRI.com; 865.809.4776
