DHEF Church Audio Installation | Discreet AV Solutions for a New West London Worship Space

Project Overview

Importance of Quality Audio Installation

When Dawliffe Hall Educational Foundation (DHEF) developed a new residential and worship facility in west London, it required an audio solution that would deliver exceptional speech clarity, seamless accessibility and intuitive day-to-day operation while remaining virtually invisible within the carefully designed interiors.

The DHEF Church Audio Installation was designed to ensure that every aspect of the worship experience was enhanced through high-quality sound. This Audio Installation project showcases our commitment to delivering excellence in every detail.

Having previously collaborated successfully, Italian architecture practice Sabbadin Corti appointed Tateside to design, supply and install the audio systems throughout the building’s main church, two oratories, confessional and meeting spaces. The result is a discreet, high-performance AV installation that supports worship, music, accessibility and hybrid collaboration without compromising the building’s architectural character.

The Challenge

The diverse needs of the congregation led to a tailored Audio Installation solution. This exceptional Audio Installation addresses all acoustic challenges effectively. DHEF operates educational, residential and conference centres across the UK, supporting girls, women and families through faith-based education and community programmes. Its new west London development combines residential accommodation with several dedicated worship spaces, each presenting different acoustic and operational requirements.

Audio Installation: Enhancing Worship Experience

The project required an audio system capable of delivering exceptional speech intelligibility, supporting hearing-impaired users, remaining almost invisible within carefully designed interiors, accommodating both music playback and spoken services, and providing intuitive operation for staff and volunteers. The combination of marble flooring, reclaimed timber panelling and other hard, reflective finishes created a particularly challenging acoustic environment, making careful loudspeaker positioning and controlled sound coverage essential. Tateside’s experience in Audio Installation ensures a seamless integration of sound within the architecture.

“Although the building itself is newly constructed, the main church incorporates many traditional features, including panelling reclaimed from another place of worship,” says Jack Cornish, Director at Tateside. “Every element had to look right and feel fully integrated with the building.”

The development of this Audio Installation involved collaboration with innovative technology partners. The main church’s Audio Installation guarantees clear communication for all attendees.

Tateside’s Solution

Working closely with the architects and wider project team, Tateside designed a bespoke audio solution tailored to the unique requirements of each individual space.

Rather than installing a single system throughout the building, every worship area received its own carefully engineered solution while remaining connected through a common Bose DSP platform. This approach ensured consistent audio performance across the development while allowing each space to operate independently whenever required.

Main Church

The main church required powerful yet discreet sound reinforcement capable of delivering crystal-clear speech alongside musical performances. Two ultra-slim K-array Vyper-KV102 II line-array loudspeakers were selected to provide even coverage while blending naturally into the interior. An effective Audio Installation in the oratory enhances the worship experience.

“Working with an Italian architect, it felt fitting to complement the design with loudspeakers from an Italian manufacturer,” explains Cornish. “The units deliver the definition required for spoken services and music reproduction without being imposing.”

The confessional’s Audio Installation demonstrates careful thought for privacy and sound quality. To preserve the visual aesthetic, Tateside designed custom 3D-printed mounting wedges that allowed each loudspeaker to be angled precisely while minimising its projection into the room. Supporting K-array Rumble-KU26 subwoofers were concealed inside bespoke decorative enclosures, ensuring low-frequency reinforcement remained fully integrated within the surrounding architecture. Overall, the Audio Installation approach prioritises comfort and accessibility for everyone.

Accessible Worship for Every Visitor

Accessibility formed a central part of the overall system design. Shure MX412/S gooseneck microphones capture speech before the audio is processed through the Bose DSP and distributed throughout the main church and adjoining oratory. An Ampetronic induction hearing loop system delivers clear audio directly to compatible hearing aids, ensuring services remain accessible for all worshippers. An AUDAC Bluetooth wall panel enables background and choral music playback before and after services, while intuitive Bose wall controllers allow volunteers and staff to adjust volume, microphone levels and source selection with minimal training.

Flexible Audio for the Oratory

The design of the lower-ground oratory’s Audio Installation maintains aesthetic integrity while providing functionality. With a flexible Audio Installation, Tateside enables easier adaptation for various events.

The adjoining oratory was designed to function either independently or as an extension of the main church. Two compact K-array GH4W full-range loudspeakers provide consistent sound coverage throughout the room, while integration with the Bose DSP platform allows microphones and programme audio to be shared seamlessly whenever required. This flexibility enables the space to adapt easily for smaller services, private worship or larger events. This Audio Installation significantly enhances the functionality of the meeting space.

A Private Audio Solutions for the Confessional

The confessional presented one of the project’s most technically demanding challenges. A conventional hearing loop risked audio spilling beyond the room and compromising privacy, so Tateside developed an alternative solution using concealed Clockaudio in-wall microphones paired with Sennheiser HD25 closed-back headphones and dedicated headphone amplification.

Speech is routed through the Bose DSP, where compression and processing improve clarity before being delivered directly to each listener. Individual volume controls allow users to adjust listening levels to suit their own requirements.

“Although the approach is relatively traditional, it works extremely well and provides an effective accessibility solution without compromising privacy,” says Cornish.

The headphones and other frequently handled components can also be replaced quickly, helping to simplify maintenance and minimise downtime for staff.

Lower-Ground Oratory

The second oratory featured ornate architectural detailing and a decorative panelled ceiling, making discreet system design especially important. Rather than introducing multiple visible loudspeakers into the space, Tateside specified a single Bose EdgeMax EM180-LP loudspeaker positioned near the front speaking area. Its 180-degree coverage enables one discreet loudspeaker to provide even audio throughout the room while preserving the integrity of the ceiling design.

A Catchbox Clip wearable microphone offers flexible speech reinforcement without requiring a permanent lectern, while Bluetooth connectivity, intuitive wall controls and an Ampetronic hearing loop provide straightforward operation for services, music playback and community events.

Hybrid Meeting Facilities

Beyond the worship spaces, Tateside also equipped DHEF’s lower-ground meeting room with modern hybrid conferencing technology. A 75-inch Iiyama 4K display, Yealink MeetingBar A40, wireless microphones and touch controller enable staff to launch Microsoft Teams meetings quickly and intuitively. The solution introduces professional collaboration capabilities while maintaining the clean, understated aesthetic found throughout the wider development.

The Result

The completed Audio Installation delivers discreet, high-quality audio throughout every worship and meeting space while allowing the building’s architecture to remain centre stage.

“This project was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the depth of Tateside’s audio expertise in Audio Installation,” concludes Cornish.

“This project was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the depth of Tateside’s audio expertise in Audio Installation,” concludes Cornish.

Technologies Used

The project brought together carefully selected solutions from K-array, Bose Professional, Shure, Ampetronic, AUDAC, Clockaudio, Sennheiser, Catchbox, Yealink and Iiyama to create an integrated audio and conferencing solution that is both discreet and easy to operate. Together, these technologies deliver exceptional speech clarity, music reproduction, accessibility and hybrid collaboration while complementing the building’s architectural vision.