Case study

The three-manual instrument is about ten meters high and has more than 46 stops with 2951 pipes. However, after the voicing of the new organ was completed in February 2016, a problem emerged: The organ pipes received too little humidity and were permanently out of tune. Not only the Paulinum in Leipzig is confronted with this problem, but also other sacred buildings. Buildings are often constructed too densely, and the necessary after-flow of air humidity is not planned for. In the Paulinum, the challenge was to build the air distribution system into the organ in order to supply thousands of pipes with air humidity.

Solution

The FabricAir team has developed a customized solution in cooperation with Innius GTD GmbH and Daume GmbH. Unlike conventional metal ducts, FabricAir’s fabric ducts are the perfect choice because the sound of the organ pipes is not affected or even reflected. FabricAir’s three-story air distribution and humidification system runs through the entire organ and connects to the last piece of the duct on the middle floor, which is located in an anteroom. The flow model chosen is a combination of MicroFlow™, which has a low exit velocity, and SonicFlow™, in which air exits the duct through rows of laser-cut perforations. To distribute humidity across the three floors, a vertical duct also runs through the organ. As FabricAir’s partner, Daume GmbH, which specializes in technical building equipment and industrial piping construction, carried out the installation. This ensured that the textile ducts blended seamlessly with the wooden ceilings of the organ.

Results

Since the completion in winter 2021, the organ pipes in the Paulinum have been surrounded by an ideal room climate. The acoustics of the organ is not affected by the textile ducts in any way – there is no reverberation, no oscillation, and no fluttering. FabricAir’s textile ducts guarantee even air distribution and ensure optimal air circulation with a total airflow of 3.000 m³/h. A special challenge in the construction was the passage in the organ because here the rail construction had to be interrupted and the textile duct had to be equipped with two additional zippers. Now, after removing the hose segment, the passage is possible without any problems. The customer is more than satisfied with the customized solution from FabricAir: The new air distribution system is perfectly adapted to the disposition of the organ and the church visitors can enjoy tuned organ pipes.