Stage Designs

Pallet Wings

Jeremy Koepke from Portland Bible College (City Bible Church) in Portland, OR brings us this

The historic chapel building of Portland Bible College was one of eleven chapels on the Camp Adair army base during World War 2 in Oregon, championed for inclusion on the base by Eleanor Roosevelt. It was dismantled after the war and relocated to the college campus in 1947. For a semester project, the Creative Arts Production class in PBC’s School of Worship took on a stage design for their bare-walled platform. They wanted to update the feel and look to be contemporary with a Pacific Northwest vibe, and nod to it’s past history.

Designs like “Mountains and Stars” inspired the now familiar pallet/rustic wood look, but the instructor of the class had recently salvaged cedar fence boards from a residential fencing replacement, for no cost and made for faster construction than breaking down and cleaning up smaller pallet boards. Some boards were sanded, some left weathered, others stained to create some texture when unlit. A vertical upward angle was kept to fit the pitch of the vaulted ceiling in the room. The walls were also horizontally angled in toward the center alcove to help draw the focal point center stage and also solve an issue with poorly placed HVAC return vents on the face of the main stage wall. The angle out was necessary to allow room air circulation to not be blocked.

The framing studs and lumber were salvaged from the maintenance shop on campus. Ikea Hemmes cords were used to drop lights over the front of the walls, using 60w squirrel cage Edison light bulbs.

They used already-owned Chauvet strip and LED par lights for the up-lighting onto the walls. The only costs were for the cords and bulbs, about $75 in total.

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3 responses to “Pallet Wings”

  1. Josh Sousa says:

    Love this. Great idea and love the hanging lights.

  2. It’s great seeing news about one of our Camp Adair chapels. The young adults using the building today, I hope, stop once in awhile to remember the other young men who prayed here for their safety. We owe them so much!

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