Whitwam AVI has designed and installed future-proof AV, broadcast and CCTV systems at Saint Michael’s Abbey, a historic Benedictine monastery in the UK.
Living a traditional life of prayer, work and study, the community of monks at Saint Michael’s welcomed a recent upgrade of the Abbey’s AV, IT and security systems, a project led by specialist systems integrators Whitwam AVI.
Whilst the original enquiry was focused on upgrading the Abbey’s sound system, the project scope quickly grew, thanks to the commissioning of a full restoration of the Abbey. “Originally, we were designing for a new audio system, new microphones and a camera and video system to improve visibility for the Abbey’s organist,” recalls Ray Clarke, operations and engineering manager at Whitwam AVI. “Following the restoration work, the project was then expanded to encompass the original requirement, plus a broadcast streaming system, CCTV and the integration of a site-wide networking solution across the Abbey and the Monastery.”
Given the historic and sacred nature of the environment and the architectural constraints of installing new technology in a heritage building, the Whitwam AVI team spent time carefully designing and commissioning various custom bracketry and RAL colour-matched enclosures for both loudspeakers and cameras to ensure that the new tech would blend into the historic surroundings. Furthermore, the venue’s limited cable routes required Whitwam AVI to install multiple equipment racks throughout the Abbey, some of which needed to be IP-rated enclosures due to the environmental conditions in the basement and crypt. Twisted pair and fibre extenders were utilised in the full system design to link the racks and minimise cabling, whilst custom-coloured trunking was installed along the Abbey walls to ensure any cable runs were neatly contained.
The audio system, which covers the nave, the high altar and the side chapels, consists of pairs of Bose MA12 modular column array loudspeakers, ensuring even audio coverage throughout the Abbey. For the video side, five Panasonic AW-UE50 PTZ cameras, also custom coloured, are installed at key locations throughout including the high altar, side crossings and at the rear of the nave to capture all proceedings during Abbey services. A portable camera offers an additional perspective for special events such as weddings. Aside from the live streaming functionality, the Abbey’s organist also benefits from an improved view of the venue via a 10-in Lilliput video monitor, improving the accuracy of timings for musical elements of services.