Community Christian Church — Yellow Box

About Community Christian Church

Community Christian Church is a multi-campus church whose flagship is located in Naperville, Illinois, conducting services at 13 locations in and around Chicago.

In 2014 the church underwent major expansion and renovation, adding Yellow Box — a new state-of-the-art auditorium with theater seating for more than 1,100, along with a new cafe, lobby spaces and a 1,000 square foot training center.

Although the new auditorium seats nearly double the previous capacity, specific design elements including natural light were incorporated to create a sense of intimacy in the large new space.

The solar control challenge

The Yellow Box design included four large, irregular-shaped east-facing windows, each measuring approximately 106" wide × 190" high, located to the right of the stage. Two more windows were located towards the back of the auditorium.

The windows allowed unacceptable levels of solar heat and glare into the auditorium. A proper solar glare control system, as well as a motorized control solution, was needed to effectively operate the shades in unison.

The solution

Illinois Window Shade Company, in collaboration with Aspen Group, the architect of Yellow Box, designed a room-darkening motorized solar shade system.

A total of six motorized roller shades were designed and installed, each fitted with Mermet Avila room darkening fabric in Black — specified for its durability, 100% solar glare blockage performance, and simple, sleek look which complemented the interior of the sanctuary.

The shades were fitted with ILT (Intelligent Line Technology) motors, allowing them to be connected to the facility's network so staff can operate the shades with the same computer they use for audio/visual equipment. A wall switch was also added for general ease of use.

Four-inch square black fascia conceals the fabric roll, providing a clean, sleek look in keeping with the design of the rest of the auditorium.

Results

With the touch of a button, church staff now have the ability to lift and lower the shades in unison or individually.

Church events are no longer disturbed by intense solar glare and heat. The blackout fabric is completely room-darkening and provides total solar protection for the parishioners.