Multipurpose Facilities

How do you change a basketball court into a dinner theater? Answer, use technology. The trend currently is multipurpose space. This presents an interesting challenge, but proper planning and technology can be used to accomplish desired results.

The multipurpose space is often used for everything from weekly services to sporting events and everything in between. Often the spaces are used for temporary worship for a specified period of time, then the building will function as a sports venue or youth area once additional facilities are completed.

So how do you change a basketball court into a dinner theater? First, apply some of the things we discussed relative to acoustics and room geometry. Addressing the room acoustically will lower the noise floor and make sporting events more enjoyable. Make choices for floor materials that have positive acoustic attributes.

Design an architectural lighting package that utilizes both HID lighting for sports and incandescent lighting for house lights. This way the congregation will not feel like “french fries under the heating lamps at McDonald’s.”

Design a theatrical lighting package that can control the incandescent house lights as well as the theatrical fixtures.

Design the speaker system and fly the speakers to accommodate different room configurations. Design the infrastructure for connectivity with quick disconnects capabilities for mobile sound mixing. Add connection points at areas for general house mixing and sports events. Design connection points that are recessed in the walls and floor for protection during sports events. These are simple ideas that are easily implemented if all parties are working together at the very beginning of the project.