The Illinois State Capitol, located in Springfield, Illinois, houses the executive and legislative branches of the government of the State of Illinois. Designed by Cochrane and Garnsey in the French Renaissance architectural style, the building’s dome is covered in zinc for a silvery, weather-resistant facade, with a plaster frieze painted to resemble bronze and stained glass windows illustrating scenes from Illinois history.
Upon completion, Lipp A/V Design garnered a prestigious Spotlight Award from ProAV magazine, as well as an Honorable Mention from ARCHI-TECH magazine’s annual A/V awards, for its work in Springfield. Years after completion, Lipp A/V Design, Inc. continues to lead technology upgrades for the Capitol’s A/V system needs.
The Illinois State Capitol, designed by Cochrane and Garnsey in the French Renaissance style, needed a full A/V system upgrade in its Senate and House Chambers while integrating seamlessly into the extraordinary 130-year-old structure. “This was a historic restoration project,” explained Jeffrey Lipp of Lipp A/V Design. “The A/V system components had to integrate seamlessly into the extraordinary 130-year old structure.”
More than 200 microphones, two massive DSP matrices, and new video and loudspeaker systems had to be unobtrusively installed. Cameras were concealed in a metal clock in the Senate Chambers, and loudspeakers were plastered into the ceiling and painted over with gold leaf. As part of the project, the original architecture, furnishings, and room finishes were returned to their 1870s appearance by Vinci Hamp Architects.
Legislators sit at historic roll-top desks but are required by Illinois law to stand to address the institution, so the gooseneck microphones needed to extend 34″ in length to reach mouth height — longer still for the tallest legislators — while folding down to just 4″ for storage inside the roll-top desks without drooping.
Jeffrey Lipp of Lipp A/V Design initially had great difficulty sourcing the right microphones for the job. “We checked all of the manufacturers. The problem lay in sourcing the gooseneck material which would be long enough and strong enough so that the mics would not droop. The only company which was able to supply us with what we needed was Clockaudio in England,” Lipp explained.
Clockaudio custom-designed gooseneck microphones with hidden shock mounts, built into the historic roll-top desks of both the Senate and House Chambers. Clockaudio had custom-made samples flown from the UK so the team could test their size and rigidity ahead of installation, delivered by integrator Bennet Electronics.
The key to the AV system in both chambers is the voting system, which controls both the microphones and cameras in addition to tallying votes. Pressing the “Speak” button on the desk-mounted voting panel sets off a string of commands: once the presiding officer grants the floor, the sound operator triggers the Crestron AV2 control system, which sends a control string to the Peavey DSP Matrix to activate the microphone and to the pan-and-tilt cameras — concealed behind the rostrum — to frame the speaking legislator. A Chyron title generator then sends the legislator’s name to LED displays, press feeds, and the Internet streaming system.
The success of this project was the result of seamless collaboration between specialized partners, each contributing unique expertise to deliver an exceptional outcome.
Incorporated in 1998 and based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Lipp A/V Design, Inc. provides sound, video, and audio-visual system design consulting, primarily serving the architectural community on new construction or major rehabilitation projects. Principal consultant Jeffrey Lipp has spent over 20 years in the sound and video business.
Bennet Electronics unobtrusively installed more than 200 microphones, two DSP matrices, and the new video and loudspeaker systems throughout the historic Senate and House Chambers.
Vinci Hamp Architects returned the original architecture, furnishings, and room finishes of the legislative chambers to their 1870s appearance alongside the technology replacement.
| Quantity | Brand | Model | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200+ | Clockaudio | Custom 34" Gooseneck Mic | Custom extra-long gooseneck microphone with hidden shock mount, built into historic roll-top desks |
| 2 | Peavey | Nion Media Matrix w/ CobraNet | DSP matrix (very large 150x24 configuration in the House) |
| Multiple | Renkus-Heinz | IC24 | Steerable line-array speakers concealed in the historic ceiling |
| 1 | Crestron | AV2 Control System | Control system integrated with the custom Illinois LIS voting software |
| 1 | Barco | Voting Display Panels (Senate) | Voting system display panels in the Senate chamber |
| 1 | Daktronics | Voting Display Panels (House) | Existing voting system display panels retained in the House chamber |
Discover other application setups designed for different industries and use cases.
Connect with our team to discuss your project requirements and discover how Clockaudio can deliver superior audio solutions for your installation.
