Bent Tree Bible Fellowship
Youth Facility
Carrollton, Texas


Project Type: New Construction
Opening: August 2000
Budget: $4 million
Architect: Lee Dunlap Associates
General Contractor: Raymond Construction
A/V Installation: Sound Reinforcements
Lighting Installation: Barbizon Lighting
AD Scope: Acoustics, Audio, Video
and Lighting

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With sixty children in Sunday school classes meant for thirty, and with youth meeting in small groups scattered throughout the hallways, Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, Texas, began designing a new education facility to alleviate the stresses that rapid growth was putting on their existing facility.

The Phase II Educational Building is a two-story building, with the first floor designed for adult classrooms and youth facilities located on the second floor. Lounges were a part of the design on both floors to give people a place to socialize.

The design was in place and the steel about to be ordered when Acoustic Dimensions joined the design team. Our scope included acoustics, noise control, sound isolation, audio, video and performance lighting.

One of the biggest challenges of the acoustic design was the location of the youth rooms above the adult classrooms. The high sound levels produced during youth worship, would have made it impossible to use the adult classrooms simultaneously. To solve this challenge, Acoustic Dimensions recommended an acoustically isolated ceiling consisting of two layers of gypsum board mounted on isolation hangers. This construction provided good sound isolation, meeting the required design goals at a reasonable construction cost.

Media stations were designed for each of the classrooms, which include VHS, CD and audiocassette capability. Each station also has a scan converter, so that a laptop can be plugged in, and a PowerPoint or other presentation can be displayed on the video screen or monitor. There is an MATV system throughout and cabling linking Phase II with the main auditorium.

The church reused as much of their existing equipment as possible augmenting with new equipment to complete the installation in the youth facility.