A.C. Special Projects Supplies Innovative UK Academy Venue

A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) Ltd. has recently completed the design, supply, and installation of a sound, AV, and lighting system at the new Moyes Center at the DYCA (the David Young Community Academy) in Leeds, UK.

The first academy of its kind to open in Leeds, DYCA has pioneered the development of new, innovative, and engaging methods of teaching and learning. The Moyes Center is a £3.35 million new build created as part of the government's (DCSF) £200m investment in creative co-location projects.

The program is an initiative that has re-located various key community services to work as a cohesive team in one central location, addressing and improving local circumstances from within the heart of the community.

The project was managed for ACSP by Lance Bromhead, who coordinated closely with DYCA's operations manager, Graham Thornton.

ACSP's brief was to provide technology that would help the center operate as a multi-functional venue for anything from talks, meetings, and presentations to specialist events. The auditorium has a flexible seating arrangement, and the venue can be configured in several formations according to the needs of the event.

ACSP was required to work to a tight budget that the systems had to be straightforward enough to be set up and operated by the center's staff.

The sound system comprises four Wharfedale speakers and an Allen & Heath ZED24 mixer, QSC amplification, a dbx drive rack for system processing, and Trantec mics, including a selection of hand-helds and lapels.

For the AV element of the project, ACSP provided a six-meter wide, white electric roll-down screen, which is fed by a Sanyo XM100 projector. A rack-mounted Denon DVD player was also supplied.

For lighting, a 10m long internally wired bar was fitted into the ceiling; rigged onto this were four ETC Source Four fixtures, and ten Studio Beam Tour LED wash lights. This was a cost-effective, power-saving solution, which lights the whole floor area.

For control of the lighting, ACSP specified a Jands Vista M1 with 128-channel dongle and Dell laptop running the next generation Vista v2 software, plus Zero 88 Chilli dimmers.

Bromhead comments on the success of the project, "This was a very rewarding project to be part of. ACSP take pride in their involvement with community initiatives such as DYCA. We continue to work with various industry sectors, helping to bring bespoke concepts from design to life."