A + V

CHALLENGE

Our experience of over  10 years in the AV industry have taught us to design solutions tailored specifically to the client’s . Knowing what goals they want to achieve and what problems they need to eliminate, we deploy systems that help them improve the functioning of their business. Designing the A+V headquarters was a very special project for us in every respect – we had to look critically at our own organisation and determine the key functions that our new office should serve. The challenge was to create a space that was fit for purpose, but also adapted to our rhythm of work. There is a place to work for our staff and visitors travelling from outside Wrocław, a place where they can work and rest, a place for training and informal meetings, for group work and individual assignments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SOLUTION

In the lobby, which also serves as a town hall, there is a monitor that displays content for clients and employees. In addition to images, the monitor also displays news, weather forecasts, exchange rates and special notices, depending on current needs. Thanks to an intuitive app it is  possible to manage the content from the reception desk. A 2-way Crestron speaker system was put in place, which is both suspended from the ceiling and mounted in the ceiling island. The subwoofer in the ceiling ensures a full bandwidth and great sound.  During company meetings, a Sony laser projector (mounted on a lift) displays the image on a large-format screen. and DMX stage lighting illuminates the presenter or sets  background colours. The lobby space is complete with a hot desk for quick ad-hoc meetings and spontaneous brainstorming sessions. When planning our office, we also included a work area for our guests and employees visiting  from other branches. The office has a lobby, but to make working comfortable, it has been separated from the rest of the space using lockers and dense vegetation. As the individual zones serve a different purpose, each has a separate lighting controlled by means of a Crestron panel from the reception desk or from an app installed on employees’ mobile phones.

 

A vibrant open space is a heart of our company. This is where our specialists work at full tilt. The common space has been divided into sections by  furniture and vegetation, both used as acoustic screens.  The area for our design department  includes a 65” interactive board which facilitates cooperation on projects. It can be used to put comments on presentations and drawings, as well as to write down interesting ideas, which can then be sent to the rest of the team or colleagues. This space also offers a quieter corner with a sofa and books, separated from the rest of the office by acoustic panels. This is a place for less formal meetings, phone calls or just relaxation.

 

The central part of the office, next to the client area and along the open space in the employee area, includes conference rooms of various sizes. They are arranged  to allow for different meetings to be held in the office at the same time, including large conferences and training sessions, smaller meetups, videoconferences and teleconferences. On a day-to-day basis, the small rooms are places for focused work. Once the acoustic partition is removed, the main conference room is used primarily for trainings and large presentations. It has a 107″ screen, which displays image from a projector placed on a lift, installed under the ceiling. If needed, the room can also be divided into two smaller conference rooms by setting up a soundproof partition wall. This wall can also serve as a large dry-wipe whiteboard on which you can write with markers. When divided, each room is equipped with a large 75” display screen. An all-in-one multifunction device has been installed under the screen. The device is equipped with a 13-degree wide-field-of-view camera, a microphone matrix and a speaker.  After connecting the USB cable to a portable laptop with any videoconferencing software (MS Teams, Skype for Business, Zoom, and others), the multifunction device will take over the role of the camera, speaker and microphone in the portable computer, ensuring clear communication and lucid speech sound. The camera with zoom option in the videoconferencing set can transmit the image of the whole room and the speaker. The sound system uses in-ceiling speakers.

 

Each room has a connection equipped with HDMI cable, USB-C, USB and LAN cable and two 230V power sockets. The connector has a retractor, so any excess cable is rolled up and hidden to keep the room tidy. The AV system is turned on and off with maximum simplicity and automation. Once the HDMI or USB-C cable is connected to the computer, the monitor and the entire AV system are automatically switched on. The AV system and the screen are automatically switched off once the cable is unplugged (after a specified time). In addition, the entire AV system can be controlled by means of wall-mounted keyboards located at the door, or using the Crestron application installed on a wireless iPad, or on our employees’ mobiles.

 

The rooms are booked using a wall-mounted panel placed in front of each room, or using the calendar on a computer or smartphone. In this way, users can also check availability of the room and book it from any place with internet access. Depending on whether the room is booked or free, reservation panels are illuminated green or red.

 

Employee break rooms are equally important as the office space. They are not only our space for relaxation, but also the centre of the company’s informal life. Employees can relax in the chillout room located in the central part of the staff area. They can use a PlayStation console  complete with their favourite games, connected to a 70” monitor for the highest image quality. With built-in smart functions, children visiting us can enjoy the screen for their favourite cartoons, while the in-house music band gladly uses professional musical instruments, sound system and stage lighting.

 

The lighting and AV systems throughout the office are operated by means of dedicated panels, which are used to manage the system without any additional devices or remote controls, and through a mobile app on employees’ smartphones.

END RESULT

Setting up our new office was a real test for us – after years spent on deploying AV systems for our clients, we had to create a space for ourselves. It turned out that we accomplished this task faultlessly, and today we work in a space that we are happy to showcase to you.