The Church of the Apostles
Atlanta, Georgia

Project Type: New Construction
Seat Count: 2,500
Opening: December 2000
Construction Cost: $9 million
Architect: CDH Partners
A/V Installation: Ditzler Communications
AD Scope: Acoustics, Audio and Video
Design

Download PDF Page

Church of the Apostles is an evangelical Anglican church located in Atlanta, Georgia. AD was brought to the team after the initial design was in place. Through a collaborative effort with the architects, we were able to make significant acoustical changes without great compromise to the visual aesthetics. Most areas of the ceiling were lowered considerably, and large downstand fins were provided at the column lines. These downstand fins create a more intimate natural acoustic. Significant changes in the wall shaping were also recommended. The seating configuration implies a semicircular shape or wide fan shape (both of which are acoustically problematic), but the room is actually a rectangular shape with wraparound seating. The rectangular shaping worked well acoustically, and the seating layout gives a strong sense of visual community to the congregation.

Another acoustical challenge was the accommodation of the musicians' area, defined as a recess behind the chancel. In order to improve the acoustical coupling of this area, sound diffusing wall treatments were incorporated behind acoustically transparent, visually opaque surfaces. Reversible acoustic panels were also designed in the musicians' area to allow some adjustment of the acoustical environment to compensate for different types of instrumental ensembles.

The music at Church of the Apostles is primarily acoustic. Worship is lead from the platform and accompanied by a 20 piece orchestra. The audio system was designed primarily to amplify speech and is a mono system with three clusters.