Over the past 24 years, we have witnessed the explosion of some technologies (wireless, cellular) and vast changes in others such as audio visual (AV) technology that warrant a deep dive into NTI's AV technology design. Depending on the project, NTI may provide only the AV technology design, or provide the AV design as part of a complete construction documents set which includes all structured cabling design, wireless and security systems as well.
What is Audio Visual technology?
Audio Visual technology can be broadly defined as an electronic media that provides audio (sound) and/or visual (sight) capabilities. An AV design might include background music in a lobby, or it could include sound systems, speech reinforcement, sound masking, visual presentation displays, video and/or audio conferencing, digital signage, video walls, interactive technologies and a variety of custom or specialty AV needs. Now, let's look at a deep dive into NTI's AV technology design.
NTI’s types of AV technologies
As you likely expect, the AV technologies that NTI recommends are dictated by the owner’s vision for the project. Before we provide a design, we are often charged with helping the owner assess the vision for the project as it compares to the budget. A look at a few projects in the NTI portfolio shows how great the variance can be on a project to project basis.
NTI serves 9 primary markets
Deep Dive into AV Project Examples
The project size of NTI’s engagements varies widely. We were the technology consultant and AV specialist for Ponce City Market, the largest adaptive reuse development in Georgia’s history.
The massive mixed use project encompasses approximately 2.1 Million sf, and includes NTI’s client’s new corporate headquarters. Conversely, we were the technology consultant for Cam Newton’s 4,600 sf upscale restaurant and lounge in Atlanta, called Fellaship Cigar Lounge.
Although the size of the overall development does generally increase the AV scope, it is certainly not in a linear relationship. For example: NTI was the technology consultant for a multi-family development in Washington state with approximately 205,000 square feet (sf). Our AV design for the project was primarily for the background music in the public spaces. Contrast that to a 32,000 sf forward thinking mixed use development where parents and children share space.
The project included office space for the parents and a unique learning environment for their children. Working with the owner to achieve their vision, NTI designed the AV infrastructure to support the required AV systems for parents' areas along with the interactive learning systems for their children’s wonderland. There are basic AV systems such as the background music and displays with connectivity in the lobby, parent pods, staff lounge, coffee shop and cafe. For the children, NTI’s design resulted in the interactive learning environment envisioned by the owner which included a fun field (central play, story cave, toy tropolis), music & dance area, toddler lounge, toy testing lab, and the listening lounge.
NTI’s design team is led by our principals and/or subject matter specialists to address each project’s unique vision. They lead our designers and drafting professionals assigned to each project. As students of the industry. each principal, specialist and designer can be both teacher and student insofar as we help educate each other with the objective to provide a best in class design each and every time. We are led by seasoned professionals and credentialed individuals including Craig Coleman, P.E., CTS-D, who is NTI’s leading AV subject matter expert.
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