Place of Worship
Sacred
How Lotus Smart Homes and Habitech delivered a comprehensive audiovisual solution for Bhaktivedanta Manor, one of the UK's most significant Hindu temples.
Eighteen years in the making, the Janmashtami Temple at Bhaktivedanta Manor represents one of the most significant construction projects in the UK's Hindu community. When Lotus Smart Homes was entrusted with the audiovisual design, Habitech provided hands-on design support and distribution, helping to specify systems that would serve the temple's diverse requirements across three distinct zones and five integrated AV systems.
The Janmashtami Temple project has been a labour of devotion for the community at Bhaktivedanta Manor. Rajesh Govind of Lotus Smart Homes describes the significance of the commission: the temple needed to accommodate thousands of worshippers during major festivals whilst maintaining the intimacy and reverence required for daily services.
The audiovisual requirements were complex. Three distinct zones, each with different acoustic properties and usage patterns, needed to be served by a system that could handle everything from spoken word during prayer services to live musical performances during celebrations.
The Habitech team spent time on site with us, walking every zone, understanding the acoustic challenges, and producing detailed heat maps that informed every speaker position. That level of care made all the difference to the final result.
Rajesh Govind Lotus Smart HomesThe audio specification combines Yamaha Commercial and Sonance Professional products, selected to address the specific acoustic demands of each zone. Yamaha's commercial audio platform provides the processing backbone, whilst Sonance Professional speakers deliver the coverage and fidelity required for both spoken word and musical performance.
Habitech's design support was central to the specification process. Detailed acoustic heat maps were produced for each zone, ensuring that speaker positions were optimised for consistent coverage and intelligibility. The result is a system where every seat in the temple receives clear, even audio regardless of the zone or the content being delivered.
One of the defining aspects of the Janmashtami Temple project was the depth of design support provided by Habitech. Working alongside Lotus Smart Homes, the Habitech team produced comprehensive acoustic heat maps for each of the temple's three zones, providing a visual representation of coverage patterns and ensuring that every speaker was positioned for optimal performance.
This level of pre-installation design work is particularly important in a space like the temple, where the acoustic environment is complex and the consequences of poor coverage are immediately apparent during services and celebrations.
This temple has been eighteen years in the making. Having a sound system that does justice to both the spoken word during prayer and the musical celebrations during festivals means everything to our community.
Nila Madhavadas Managing Director, Bhaktivedanta ManorBeyond audio, the temple's AV infrastructure encompasses WyreStorm HDBaseT video distribution for relaying services to overflow areas, Crestron lighting control for creating appropriate atmospheres for different types of worship, and a Soundcraft mixer for managing live musical performances. The integration of these five distinct systems into a cohesive, easy-to-operate whole is a testament to the collaborative approach of Lotus Smart Homes and Habitech.
The Janmashtami Temple at Bhaktivedanta Manor stands as a remarkable achievement, not just architecturally but in the sophistication of its audiovisual systems. From Yamaha and Sonance audio delivering crystal-clear sound across three zones to Crestron lighting and WyreStorm video distribution, every element has been designed to serve the community for generations to come.
It is a project that demonstrates the value of patient, detailed design work and the kind of long-term collaboration between Lotus Smart Homes and Habitech that produces truly outstanding results.
Yamaha Commercial Audio and Sonance Professional speakers with Soundcraft mixing, delivering clear, reverent sound across three worship zones.
High-bandwidth video distribution connecting displays throughout the temple for live ceremony broadcasts and communal viewing.
Intelligent lighting control creating adaptive scenes that honour the spiritual atmosphere of each space and ceremony.
Lotus Smart Homes
AV integration
Habitech
Design support and distribution