American Red Cross

Client Objective 

The American Red Cross has the goal to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing volunteers and donors. The same year it celebrated its 100th anniversary in Indiana, the Indianapolis Red Cross moved from its sprawling headquarters at 441 E. 10th Street to its new location in 2016.  Their new headquarters has approximately 26,000 SF which resulted from a three-way swap of sorts. The city bought the old Red Cross building to relocate Fire Station 7 and city fire headquarters from their location in the 500 block of Massachusetts Avenue.

The new Indianapolis Red Cross headquarters serves 87 counties. “We are 50% of the blood supply in the state of Indiana. We provide life-saving health and safety education, CPR, first aid,” according to CEO Chad Priest. “We respond to disasters domestically and internationally. We do five or six of those a night in Indiana, mostly home fires.”

NTI Solutions

NTI designed and produced drawings and specifications for the IT/TV infrastructure by coordinating with the design team and the ownership group. Our drawings provided the detail for all the "Information Transport System" (ITS) elements, including the cabling, technology equipment rooms, cabling pathways, power and HVAC requirements, etc. The completed ITS serves as the information highway for all data, security, TV, AV, and wireless systems for the new facility.

Security - NTI designed the CCTV and card access systems within the scope. The CCTV system design includes specifications and elevations for security cameras, monitors, alarm systems for perimeter doors, and DVR units.

Audio Visual Services – Included a dynamic background music system that adhered to the owner's requirements. The system supports up to four audio sources that can be distributed. Video systems include flat panels and projectors. The volume controls and source selectors are easy to understand and access, so staff can control the system without going to a central closet to make changes.

Construction Administration – During the construction phase, NTI personnel responded to RFIs from the contractors regarding the technology systems' build-out to ensure the design intent. We also visited the site to personally witness the contractor's progress, workmanship, and adherence to NTI drawings and specifications.

From concept through implementation, we worked closely with the Architect and Ownership teams to ensure that the American Red Cross facilities are configured to address tomorrow's technology challenges today.