For a new development by Dawliffe Hall Educational Foundation (DHEF) in west London, Tateside designed and installed audio systems that deliver clarity and accessibility while keeping the architecture in the foreground.
DHEF, a faith-based charity supporting girls, women and families, runs educational, residential and conference centres across the UK. Its new west London building combines residential accommodation with several worship spaces. Following a previous collaboration, Italian architecture practice Sabbadin Corti asked Tateside to design and deliver the audio for these architecturally sensitive areas.
Modern build, heritage character
Although the building itself is newly constructed, the main church incorporates many traditional features, including panelling reclaimed from another place of worship. Every element had to look right and feel fully integrated with the building, explains Jack Cornish, Director at Tateside.
Accessibility was a priority, with many users needing listening support, and operation had to be simple for staff and volunteers. Marble floors, timber panelling and other reflective surfaces made controlled coverage and speech intelligibility critical.
Main church: slim line arrays on 3D-printed wedges
Two ultra-slim K-array Vyper-KV102 II line-array loudspeakers cover the main church for both spoken services and music. “Rather than using conventional wall brackets, we mounted the loudspeakers on custom 3D-printed wedges,” says Cornish. “This gave us precise control over the angle while ensuring they did not protrude too far into the room.” Two K-array Rumble-KU26 subwoofers are concealed in bespoke enclosures.
Shure MX412/S gooseneck microphones work alongside an Ampetronic hearing loop. An AUDAC wall panel adds Bluetooth for background or choral music, and two Bose wall controllers handle source selection, volume and microphone control across two audio zones. In the adjoining oratory, two compact K-array GH4W loudspeakers run on the same Bose DSP platform, so the space can operate independently or share sources with the church.
A private solution for the confessional
A hearing loop risked signal spill beyond the confessional, so Tateside chose another route. “We installed a concealed Clockaudio in-wall microphone on each side of the confessional, paired with Sennheiser HD25 closed-back headphones and dedicated headphone amplification,” explains Cornish. The signal passes through the Bose DSP for compression and vocal clarity, and each user has an individual volume control.
Although the approach is relatively traditional, it works extremely well and provides an effective accessibility solution without compromising privacy, Cornish adds.
One speaker for an ornate oratory
In the lower-ground oratory, with its decorative panelled ceiling, a single Bose EdgeMax EM180-LP near the raised speaking area covers the whole room. “Its 180-degree coverage allows it to serve the entire room from one discreet location,” says Cornish. A wearable Catchbox Clip microphone with charging dock, Bluetooth, wall control and an Ampetronic hearing loop complete the system.
Hybrid meeting room
The lower-ground meeting room is equipped for Microsoft Teams with a 75-inch Iiyama 4K display, a Yealink MeetingBar A40, two wireless microphones and a touch controller.
The result, according to Tateside, is a carefully integrated system that delivers clear, consistent audio throughout the building without drawing attention away from its design.
Photos: © Tateside
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