SOLUTIONS: HUNGARIAN COMPETITION AUTHORITY, BUDAPEST HUNGARY No competition
Integrating AV technology in a listed building can be a complex task but this independent body makes it look easy, writes Tom Bradbury
[ABOUT THE INSTALLER]
Galax Kft was founded in Budapest in 1991
Its main fields of activity include planning and installing AV and conference systems. The company also specialises in the government and corporate sector
Galax is the Hungarian distributor and one of the largest Middle Eastern/European dealers of Bosch conference systems
Each pair of delegates shares an Albiral retractable LCD monitor
IT IS always a challenge for a system integrator to plan and implement modern AV technology in a listed building while making sure that it perfectly integrates into its environment in terms of both function and appearance. In 2012, the Hungarian Competition Authority decided to convert and restore the lower floor of its old building – originally constructed in 1869. The Competition Authority is an autonomous administrative body, independent of government, with national competence, whose establishment was motivated by the need to protect the freedom and clarity of market competition to encourage economic effectiveness. The tasks of planning, interior design and technical inspection were performed by architectural studio KROKI, whose associates have been awarded several architectural prizes in the past decade. As the ground floor of the
building was converted, a conference room and two meeting rooms were created, while the Competition Council chamber was also completely
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refurbished. Each room now features high-spec AV and conference equipment. “The goal was to refurbish
the ground floor of the building to strengthen the nature of the building, while the technical equipment assists daily work,” says Krisztián Tolvaj, commercial director of Galax, the integrator responsible for designing the conference and AV system as well as handling equipment installation. From a technical point of
view, the most complex and at the same time most interesting system can be found in the conference room. The new set-up offers versatility as well as excellent audio, image quality and data transmission while providing complete control over conference proceedings. Tolvaj worked closely with the planners and interior designers, the associates of the Authority and representatives of the different manufacturers from the initial planning phase to create a system that fulfils the needs of every participant in the conference chain.
“From the very beginning,
Galax was supported by Bosch both in the technical and commercial field as Bosch devices were used extensively throughout,” says Attila Bárány, wholesale account manager of Robert Bosch’s Hungarian subsidiary.
HIDDEN TECHNOLOGY Thirty delegates can sit around the new oval table in the conference room. To get the most from the table, each pair of delegates shares an Albiral retractable LCD monitor. When these devices are not in use, they can be lowered under a brushed stainless steel cover plate by electric motors, together with the microphones on both sides of the monitor – these constitute parts of the Bosch DCN Next Generation (NG) Conference System. This solution creates an
elegant and streamlined effect that is perfectly in harmony with the interior. The chairman’s monitor is also a touchscreen, so the central PC operating in the studio room can be controlled without any additional devices.
Delegates can ask for permission to speak by pushing the microphone button. The central control unit automatically creates a waiting list in case there are several requests at the same time. The chair or the operator can register those wishing to speak, and they can also interrupt speeches via the priority button. Using their touchscreens, the chair or the operator can grant or withdraw the right to speak as required. The microphones and the other audio sources are made audible by products from the Bosch Plena range. Clarity of speech is provided by 10 suspended ceiling speakers, while the feedback destroyer suppresses arising frequencies and prevents them from feeding into the system. Multilingual meetings are also held at the Authority; again the Bosch DCN NG system was chosen to handle interpretation. The system automatically distributes every interpreted language to the headphones connected to the flush-mount channel selectors, situated in front of the monitors.
Clients include NATO, Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority, McKinsey & Company, Hungarian Financial Supervisory Authority and several Hungarian ministries
Using digital signalling, the equipment provides CD- quality audio to conference delegates: consequently, they will become less tired during a long conference and will be able to sustain their concentration. Only the available channels
are visible on the channel selector LCD panels, so users need not waste time skipping unused channels to find the desired language. Interpreters work on the
Bosch digital interpreting desk in a soundproof adjacent room, from where they can follow the conference through their monitors and through a window.
CONNECTING TO THE SYSTEM In addition to the central PC, delegates’ own notebooks can also be connected to the sound and display system as well as the office IT network. Komtech desk connector panels are situated between the monitors, also concealed in the table, encasing the individual cables. “As products of several
manufacturers have been built into the table, it was
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