Lekuona Fabrika is a multifunctional cultural space designed to be very versatile and adapt to a varied program. Stonex has developed the rigging project with ETC and Movecat technology that allows it to adapt to the different configurations of your main room. Sorlekua is a diaphanous 613 m² cube with specific needs, allowing 6 different configurations with 2 retractable frames and being able to be divided into 3 spaces.
The space has 15 motorized rods distributed throughout the room with a fixed speed of 7,8 m/min-13 cm/s and four lateral rods to provide possibilities for all configurations. For this they have incorporated 13 Vortek engines of 900 kilos of ETC Rigging. Vortek motors have been designed to offer great performance and operating precision in spaces with unconventional designs or special needs with easy installation.
Lekuona Fabrika has a height limitation due to the coastal law as it is located next to the river. In addition, as its technical director and creator of the project, Javier Cruz explains, "there is also a handicap, which are the mobile walls that close off the room and compartmentalize it into three rooms, for which reason the motors could not go on the sides either, they had to go to the roof So, the Vorteks give you that facility that you can put them horizontally on the ceiling and on top of that the first two shots come from the motor itself, which is already making installation much easier for you.”
The Vortek incorporate in a simple installation features such as primary electromechanical brake of the motor and mechanical brake on the load side, encoders for precise and uniform positioning, protection against overload and load profile through integrated load cells.. Additionally, it includes four positive-acting limit switches with pre-set initial and over-travel distances with LED indicator lights for more efficient and accurate adjustment during installation.
The rest of the rods have been motorized with 6 Prodigy P2 engines with compression rod technology, which allow them to be connected to the structure with fewer anchors, and regardless of the location of the anchor line, as they are located in positions where there are no accessible beams or anchors. This system cancels the lateral forces that are commonly created in traditional rigging systems. Thanks to this Prodigy technology, it is easy to install in locations that have not been designed for stage machinery.
For the suspension of the sound PAs, 4 500Kg Movecat PlusLite motors have been used with an independent remote control that allows easy maintenance and adapts them to different configurations, where the PAs are positioned in different locations.
The rods are made up of more than 300 linear meters of Sixty82 truss and 26 Admiral Snake cable collection systems, which guarantee the order and proper functioning of the rods.
Precise yet easy-to-use control for a multipurpose space
To control the rods, 3 ETC QuickTouch+ systems have been installed, configured for the use of the room as a whole or individually for the different sectors, in addition to the individual control of each rod. This control is perfect for small theaters and auditoriums with fixed or variable speed elevators.. Safely and intuitively moves rods up to a working height and back to their precise focus positions.
The LCD display provides real-time position and load information, and easy-to-read status messages to make it easy to get the most out of it. As Javier Cruz explains, they were looking for “a simple control that you can explain to anyone who comes and it is easy to select 1,2,3,4 or five motors up, down and that allows you to record some positions and also see the load that you carry on the rod.”
This allows them to have an agile and simple operation for the multiple configuration changes of the space, fulfilling its objectives of versatility. To this end, Stonex has developed and integrated stage mechanics systems.