Lift Turn Move supplies hoists, controls and rigging to world class venue

Lift Turn Move (LTM) has supplied a programmable hoist and control package to the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Many consider the Harpa concert hall one of the greatest concert halls of the new millennium, with a breathtakingly beautiful facade designed by renowned artist Olafur Eliasson and architecture firms Henning Larsen Architects and Batteriið Architects.

Harpa is also a state-of-the-art venue in its own right, playing host to modern singers and performers as well as classical, orchestral performances. Such a diverse setup poses a design challenge when it comes to ensuring sound quality and flexibility within the building. This problem was, in part, addressed by a bespoke LTM LoadGuard hoist and Guardian control package.

LTM was approached by long-term partner for the region, Exton, in early 2011. A practical and robust solution was designed to meet the needs of the multi-use venue, with delivery and installation by Exton taking place over the spring and summer of 2011.

LoadGuard chain hoists (eight 1t and 10 1/2t) fitted with LTM’s own Guardian dual phase encoders and a separate load cell, feedback to an LTM programmable hoist control and load monitoring system. The system, consisting of three Guardian PRO 8-channel controllers and a 24-channel IBEX programmable hoist controller, affords complete control of the venue lighting, supported on custom Prolyte truss, which can be moved in and out of position whenever required.

The LoadGuard hoists themselves are concealed on an upper floor above the auditorium, supported on gantries with the load chain passing through a hole in the floor. This discreet system allows for maximum flexibility whilst ensuring that the rigging is never on show. In addition, LTM also supplied a loose rigging gear package, including manual hoists, roundslings and shackles.

Exton, which won all four integration tenders, supplied and installed over 300km of sound, light and AV cabling into the building, configuring over 400 IP addresses and installation of 30 high end computers to manage over 3,000 control points.