The Temple of Solomon enlists K-Array for 21st Century sound
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: Sao Paulo’s Temple of Solomon was recently inaugurated by Billionaire preacher Edir Macedo, firmly securing its place in the history books as one of the country’s, or indeed the world’s, most ambitious houses of worship. Intended to strongly resemble the historic original, the gigantic temple, which occupies a whole city block, is a no expense spared 11-story building constructed with stone imported directly from Jerusalem at a cost of $300 million. Stated to be twice the height of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, the 10,000-capacity interior is lavishly decorated with Italian marble and huge menorahs, while the top of the alter showcases 100 sq-m of gold stained glass windows. Providing sound reinforcement and coverage for the 126m by 104m by 55m highly reflective environment therefore, was no easy task.
Mr Macedo is also the founder and leader of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, a Pentecostal denomination with more than 12 million followers. The Universal Church tasked Gobos do Brasil, K-Array’s Brazilian partner, with ensuring ‘faithfulness, clarity and intelligibility’ of spoken words during sermons.
‘Universal brought us a big challenge; to install a sound system in this huge area, using invisible, light and ecologically correct sound equipment. Large indoor places require a lot of caution and study, because they usually have big reverberation and acoustic reflections, making it difficult to understand the voice,’ explained commercial director of Gobos do Basil, Esteban Risso. ‘We presented the architect and directors of the building with a detailed study where our solution showed a high level of intelligibility and clarity in addition to great SPLs.’
Although its primary function is worship, the temple is also being promoted as a tourist attraction. The intention is that visitors feel as if the were travelling back in time to the original temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem. As a newly constructed building there was no existing sound infrastructure in place, and as the goal is to faithfully replicate the feel of the original, it was imperative that the speakers could not be seen. K-array’s KH4 and KSO70 speakers have been installed in the Sanctuary 18m high, placed in acoustic niches above the ceiling and hidden by perforated plates specially designed not to hinder acoustic transmission.
KP102 Python speakers have been deployed at either side of the alter in addition to KMT18s that provide monitoring for the pastors. According to the installers, the Pythons are invisible to the eyes, but provide remarkable sound and coverage.
In the adjoining conference rooms – intended to be used for overspill – custom painted variants of the manufacturer’s KRM33P have been affixed to the ceiling to provide increased spoken word coverage.
Moving outside, The Esplanade, a 630 sq-m area providing access to the Sanctuary, has been equipped with in-wall KP102 speakers to boost coverage, coloured to match the Israeli stone. KP102s have been similarly integrated into the walls of The Cenacle, a large, domed, three-story museum building that forms the main exterior focal point.
The temple is the first in Brazil to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification. The manufacturer’s compact speakers have reportedly contributed greatly to the building’s energy efficiency.