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September
12. 2000
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A High-Quality Presentation Facility - It's not a box
By Gary Kayye, CTS
Steven Thorburn, PE, CTS
Click to Return to Page 1
Step 2. Design. Upon completion of the Needs Analysis phase, now the actual facility and equipment design may begin. There are industry consultants that actually specialize in the process of designing an AV facility turn-key for you (a guide to all the industry AV Consultants may be found on the Web at www.kayye.com), however, if that is not an option available to you, follow the steps below:
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Design the room while considering the application of the equipment simultaneously. Considering both the facility construction as well as the actual AV equipment that will be required for successful applications with the room gives you the best of both worlds. For example, if you are to have projection or are concerned with eye fatigue, florescent lights should NOT be the only lighting in the room. However, if you don't have the luxury of changing the facility design and must make the equipment work with the room, consider trade-offs carefully.
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Consider the power distribution and where power may be required when the equipment is installed. In an AV facility, power for the projection equipment as well as the equipment sending and routing computer and video signals to the projector must be on the same ground. This will eliminate "hum bars" (solid vertical lines seen faintly in the background of the picture) running up the projected image. ·
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Create an equipment list of everything to be used in the room
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Review the budget again.
Step
3. Construction Documents. System diagrams should be done using CAD
for power distribution, control signal, RGB, Video and Audio routing as
well as a layout of the facility. In addition, while considering the technical
level of the users, the control system screens (touch screen interface)
should be designed and documented screen by screen in detail.
Step 4. Send it out to bid. Have at least three qualified integrators bid the job. The only industry certification that exists that may help you "weed" through the qualified bidders is the ICIA's (International Communications Industries Association) CTS (Certified Technology Specialist program. They have a certification for an installer that requires a minimum level of knowledge to pass and receive the CTS-Install designation. In addition, specify that you want a complete set of system operating manuals. Finally, be sure to consider a service agreement on the facility as many Integrators provide service contracts that include 24-hour response in the case of a failure/problem.
Step 5. Install it: Once an installer has been selected, the installation begins and all the work starts to show.
Step 6. Train on it: An often overlooked, extremely important step, training. Each user of the facility should be trained to use the room and their control system screens. In addition, don't forget to train them on what to do if something fails (i.e. how to bypass a piece of gear if it is failing. Or, at least tell document a process for them to use in the case of a failure so that they can reach the facility AV director.
Step 7. Post Completion Meeting: Have a meeting with the installer, designer/consultant, facility AV director and project manager to create a "punch list" of everything that needs to be completed or modified.
Although this is a condensed "How To" list, hopefully it gave you a better understanding of what considerations need to be made in designing a facility of your own. ICIA (www.icia.org) offers a complete Internet and on-site based Design School that covers designing a facility in detail. In fact, they even offer a CTS-Design certification once you have passed the course.
Gary Kayye, CTS is Principal of Kayye Consulting an industry consulting firm specializing in providing marketing and training consulting. He may be reached at his web site at www.kayye.com or via e-mail at gkayye@kayye.com.
Steven Thorburn, PE, CTS is a Principal of Thorburn Associates an International Acoustical and Audiovisual Engineering Firm. He may be reached through his web site at www.ta-inc.com or via e-mail at sjt@ta-inc.com.
Step 4. Send it out to bid. Have at least three qualified integrators bid the job. The only industry certification that exists that may help you "weed" through the qualified bidders is the ICIA's (International Communications Industries Association) CTS (Certified Technology Specialist program. They have a certification for an installer that requires a minimum level of knowledge to pass and receive the CTS-Install designation. In addition, specify that you want a complete set of system operating manuals. Finally, be sure to consider a service agreement on the facility as many Integrators provide service contracts that include 24-hour response in the case of a failure/problem.
Step 5. Install it: Once an installer has been selected, the installation begins and all the work starts to show.
Step 6. Train on it: An often overlooked, extremely important step, training. Each user of the facility should be trained to use the room and their control system screens. In addition, don't forget to train them on what to do if something fails (i.e. how to bypass a piece of gear if it is failing. Or, at least tell document a process for them to use in the case of a failure so that they can reach the facility AV director.
Step 7. Post Completion Meeting: Have a meeting with the installer, designer/consultant, facility AV director and project manager to create a "punch list" of everything that needs to be completed or modified.
Although this is a condensed "How To" list, hopefully it gave you a better understanding of what considerations need to be made in designing a facility of your own. ICIA (www.icia.org) offers a complete Internet and on-site based Design School that covers designing a facility in detail. In fact, they even offer a CTS-Design certification once you have passed the course.
Gary Kayye, CTS is Principal of Kayye Consulting an industry consulting firm specializing in providing marketing and training consulting. He may be reached at his web site at www.kayye.com or via e-mail at gkayye@kayye.com.
Steven Thorburn, PE, CTS is a Principal of Thorburn Associates an International Acoustical and Audiovisual Engineering Firm. He may be reached through his web site at www.ta-inc.com or via e-mail at sjt@ta-inc.com.