FEATURE: TECHNOLOGY FOR ARCHITECTS Picture © Edward Sumner
COLLABORATIVE APPROACH BENEFITS LONDON UNIVERSITY
The humanities building at Queen Mary, University of London – one of the top 15 research universities in the United Kingdom – includes a timber-clad 300-seat auditorium and foyer, centrally bookable seminar rooms and a senior common room on the top floor. A 60-seat film and drama studio, licensed for public performances, projects over the pavement and includes movable seating that changes from traditional rows to groups, enabling the studio to be configured for auditorium, conference and seminar room use. Architects Wilkinson Eyre
worked closely with consultants Arup from the
Lavelle, regional director for UK and Ireland at InfoComm, says: “We offer a series of seminars for RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) covering aspects of partnership between architects and integrators, AV standards and best practice so that architects can become more aware of the elements and procedures in achieving high-quality audio and video installations. The response to them is good: architects become more open to the needs of the AV community and more sympathetic to the problems of AV installation. We are making headway, but there is still a long way to go.” This is particularly an issue in corporate and commercial building design, less so in the public sector, universities and museums. InfoComm’s imminent
Audiovisual Systems Performance Verification standard (currently in draft) provides the framework from which any and all systems can be verified. According to Ann Brigida, director of standards for InfoComm International: “An architect should be working with an AV consultant, designer or integrator who will use this list to design the system to agreed-upon functional requirements and design. In this way, the installer is actually verifying that what was promised is being delivered through specific phases of the project that have been mapped out and put into an organised plan. It’s
the perfect tool for everyone involved if it’s used correctly.” Jon Melchin, director of
architectural business development for AV product developer FSR, conducts presentations for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Continuing Education Series: “There is often a ‘disconnect’ when it comes to architects and AV,” he says. “So we try to educate and encourage architects to recognise the importance of AV infrastructure and its impact on the performance of the building. I try to emphasise that AV technologies are considered business-critical systems, and early planning is beneficial. Once the walls go up, AV systems become difficult to integrate as an afterthought, but it still happens. The challenge is getting everybody on the same page on this – architect, AV consultant, AV systems integrator, electrical contractor, and the facility owner. It’s advisable to bring AV into design discussions as early on as possible in the applicable phase.”
One of the major issues
presented by complex AV equipment is the rapid evolution and pace of obsolescence of AV products; new equipment appears that is immediately attractive to building owners. “We have learned to work closely with AV specialists from the earliest stages of a project in order to jointly specify and understand the limitations imposed by this
www.installation-international.com September 2013 37 very
start of the project to ensure that the final design would meet the university’s requirements for usability, flexibility and aesthetic design so that it could be used for university teaching as well as external revenue- generating events. Throughout the project,
regular co-ordination meetings were held between all parties, aligning expectation with budgetary constraints and ensuring that the end-client was aware of the design and progress of the integrated aspects of lighting, audio and visual systems.
STUDY CASE
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