Founded in 2009, World Heart Beat is a registered charity with the aim of using a broad programme of music lessons, workshops and events to nurture young talent in an inclusive teaching environment. Having outgrown the first academy in Wandsworth, it decided to open a second music education centre in Embassy Gardens, Nine Elms, Battersea to offer even more learning opportunities.
Within this new building, the flagship space is the Concert Hall; a 200 person space which needed to have world-class SLAV facilities for live student performances as well as the flexibility to be hired out as an events space. Having collaborated together on previous projects, including the Boulevard Theatre, WL was approached by Rory Aitkenhead, the venue’s architect, to provide the complete technical SLAV infrastructure within the Music Hall.
WL was initially brought on board as Design Consultants; which meant creating a detailed plan of the technical infrastructure needed within the Music Hall. As part of the process, WL had to attend design co-ordination workshops, develop the performance audio system (alongside d&b audiotechnik), develop an audio distribution system (alongside Focusrite), refine the infrastructure design so it had maximum flexibility and future-proofing as well as define a control and AV distribution strategy for the entire building.
Once a design was in place, WL was then able to offer World Heart Beat the expert services of its Major Projects team to actually install the SLAV elements. This included fulfilling the original design by providing the complete technical set-up, such as AV, lighting, electrical and mechanical infrastructure, data racks, architectural lighting control, house lights, and a new sound package. This also included final design and installation of all electrical and mechanical work within the performance space, such as SLAV cabling, dimmer and mains cabling, facility panels, house lighting and pipe grid
For the house lights, WL drew on the ETC ArcSystem Pro whereas the majority of other fixtures are ETC ColorSource Spot Jrs. The architectural lighting control was provided by the ETC Unison Paradigm system whereas the performance space power control was supplied via ETC ColorSource ThruPower.
WL also oversaw the design of the Performance Space Facility Panels (alongside manufacturer ATP Projects) as well as the Pipe Gridding which was co-designed with Tim
Roffey and installed by Ambar Installations.
In terms of timescale, WL started its work on-site in March 2022 with handover to the client in September, before the space’s official opening in November 2022.
Client: World Heart Beat
Venue: World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens, London
Key Partners: d&b audiotechnik, Rory Aitkenhead, d&b solutions, Ambar Installations, ETC, WS Electrical