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ETC Paradigm touch screen control in lighting booth
GDS ArcSystem fixture installed
were 575-watt pars .”
Hynes actually took on much of the design work and initial troubleshooting himself , including the majority of the fixture selection , studying product documents from ETC and considering how the various solutions would work in his venue . “ The variety of fixtures really worked for us ,” he says . “ We could find pretty much every fixture we needed to fit the existing architectural footprints of what was already there .”
“ We tried as much as we could to work with Terry and help him along the way with design ,” Lukings offers . “ When we needed to get out of the way and let Terry communicate directly with ETC , we did that , though when they needed support or someone to bounce ideas off of , we were there as well .”
Horizon Solutions has no shortage of experience with ArcSystem products . In addition to a host of past projects with the brand , Lukings reveals that the company ’ s offices are actually outfitted with ArcSystem fixtures and Echo controls . “ We chose to install ArcSystem four-cell rounds because they fit our own needs , but the added benefit of having an in-house installation has allowed us to experiment with the fixtures and show them off to clients .”
One of the features mentioned by both Hynes and Lukings as a major draw was the ArcMesh wireless control option . “ That ’ s a huge advantage in applications where it ’ s not practical to run control lines between fixtures ,” Lukings shares – which includes those where new fixtures are to occupy the space of previous ones without a desire to rewire .
“ That saved us a lot of time and money on installation ,” notes Hynes , who actually headed up the physical installation of the equipment with staffers from the venue , including Assistant Electrician Mike MacLean , a local IATSE union crew , and electrical contractor Kinetic Electric Ltd . from nearby Waterloo , ON .
Another advantage with GDS , according to Lukings , is the consistency throughout the product lineup . “ They can all be inter-matched easily because they have similar , predictable qualities like colour and dimming uniformity .”
The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony had some input in the process , being a major stakeholder that would likely be atop that stage more than anyone else . Ultimately , the Symphony ’ s intensity and colour temperature requirements played a large part in fixture selection . For instance , that ’ s why the 3,000 K colour temperature was chosen , as it offers the optimal results for reading sheet music onstage . “ That was essential ,” Lukings confirms . “ Being able to use a fixture with as much output as the GDS eight-cell models with the even coverage and suitable colour temperature was ideal , as there are very few fixtures on the market that could hit those requirements .”
Magician David Blaine performed in the Raffi Armenian Theatre to close out the 2016 / 17 season on July 4 , 2017 . Immediately following the show , work on the retrofit was underway . “ I figured it ’ d take us until the end of July ,” Hynes shares , “ and we had Horizon and ETC booked for the first week of August for commissioning .” The majority of the installation was complete by the third week of July . “ It just went so smoothly ,” Hynes tacks on . “ I couldn ’ t have been happier .”
Again , Lukings offers a lot of credit to Hynes and his team for the seamless installation process . Something that Lukings has actually been sharing with more recent clients about his work at Centre In The Square was Hynes ’ forethought when it came to choosing products .
“ He and his team were good at looking at the products available – and there are many – and deciding which would best fit their different needs , not just looking at it as , for example , ‘ That pot light is exactly that size , so we need an LED with exactly that trim ring size .’” His example refers specifically to the trim rings on the under-balcony fixed pot lights , which were a fraction of an inch too big for the existing cavities . In the end ,
32 | Spring 2018