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What sort of meeting space does an American Institute of Architects chapter design for its own use?

For the AIA chapter in Kansas City, one that’s a little more upscale, a little more innovative and little more useable than most meeting rooms.

When the chapter moved its offices last year, they chose a renovated 1907 structure in the Crossroads District, a former downtown industrial area now home to art galleries, shops and restaurants. Helix Architecture and Design of Kansas City created striking interiors for the space, and Conference Technologies, Inc. contributed an innovative AV system.

The centerpiece of the space is a 2,000 square foot first-floor meeting room, with windows on two sides looking out on the neighborhood.

This multi-purpose room is beautifully designed, with a central ceiling and wall element built of Armstrong steel panels painted red and a central strip of carpeting in the same color.  This structure holds lighting fixtures, a projector and screen plus ceiling-mounted loudspeakers.

According to Tiffany Shepherd, Deputy Director of the chapter, AIA Kansas City uses the new space for a large number of meetings and events, both for members and others in the design community. “We conceived this space as a ‘Think Tank’ for collaboration between various design professionals,” says Jeffrey Schutzler, the project leader at Helix Architecture. “The intent was to provide a multi-purpose room capable of hosting a wide range of events ranging from board meetings, lectures, lunch presentations, special events, and design charettes. The red flooring, projection wall, and ceiling reach outward to pull not only architects and designers into the office, but also the public. ”

Shepherd says the room can comfortably hold 60 people classroom style, 150 theater style and even more for receptions. A typical lunchtime education session attracts about 70 architects, so the chapter has space to expand.

The chapter also plans to rent the space to other organizations and companies in the area. “We’re in a really great location in Kansas City, a kind of a hip, happening area of downtown, ” Shepherd explains. “There are a lot of evening events, where galleries open up their doors to the public, and a lot of need for meeting space.”

Designing the AV systems

According to Steve Martin, who was in charge of the project for Conference Technologies, one of the main challenges in designing an AV system for this room was its use as a rental space. “Most of the people who do presentations here will use the AV system infrequently or only once. So the controls had to be extremely intuitive.”

That was one of the reasons Martin recommended using Extron’s new touchpanel-based control system –and in fact, this was one of the first rooms in the nation to have their new TLP 700MV TouchLink color panel installed.

“It’s really simple to use,” Martin says. Extron includes a seven-inch touch screen in the panel plus ten backlit buttons and even a master volume control knob to put everything at a user’s fingertips. They also set up a simplified programming scheme, making it affordable for customers who might not otherwise be able to budget for a touchpanel.

“I think this is my favorite part of the room,” Shepherd says. “It makes it really easy not only for us to use the AV system but for us to show other people how to use it.”

Another challenge was the sheer variety of meetings that would be held in the new room.

Schutzler included lightweight, motorized room dividing curtains from MechoShade Systems to reconfigure the room for different types and sizes of meetings. “This is a big space,” notes Shepherd, “but if we’re having a small meeting, we can drop one of these shades to make the meeting feel a little more intimate.”  Schutzler put one shade about 1/3 of the way back from the front of the room, another about 2/3 of the way back, and then used the same material across all of the windows. So a presenter can use the MechoShade fabric to darken the room and to resize it, fitting it not only to the lighting conditions but also to the size of the audience.

Another highlight of the room is the sound system CTI designed, which includes an Extron DMP 64 Digital Matrix Processor –a 6×4 audio matrix switcher with digital signal processor built in– and eight Extron SI 26CT two-way ceiling speakers.  The sound system ties into the curtaining system: press a button to lower one of the MechoShade dividers and it automatically activates only those speakers appropriate for the space being used.

“The combination of the Extron DSP and speakers sounds really nice for voice and music,” Martin says, “and it made it very easy for us to control four wireless microphones from the touch panel.”

A 4,000-lumen NEC NP3250W projector provides bright, high definition images on a 130” diagonal Da-Lite Cinema 3 Contour screen. Sources for the system include a built-in PC, three laptop inputs, a DVD/VCR combo, the Shure SLX wireless microphones and an iPod dock.  

The use of the new control system was not without its hiccups, but Shepherd says CTI stepped in and corrected any faults immediately. “We found a few bugs when we first started using it, but I called Steve and he sent his programmer over right away. Their response time was fabulous and we haven’t had a problem since.”

Building a relationship

Shepherd says AIA KC brought CTI into the project based on a long-term relationship they have had with the firm.

“I have been at the chapter seven years and the relationship existed before then,” she explains. CTI Rental has provided sound and projection systems for the elections of chapter officers, for their design awards program and other special events, since the old space did not include an installed AV system.

“We’re also an AIA Silver level member and regularly do continuing ed presentations for the chapter,” adds Martin. These include an AIA-certified course, “AV Design Considerations,” which CTI taught to architects from over 38 member firms at a session in the new meeting room in May.

“When it came time to design our AV systems, we took proposals from two or three organizations,” Shepherd says, “but CTI completely understood what we needed to do here and understood where we were wanting to go, so it was a very natural fit. There was no question–they came in with exactly what we needed.”

Shepherd says the new space is crucial to the chapter’s goals of expanding its membership and of reaching out to form alliances with others in the design and construction industries. “It’s a really cool space,” adds Martin. “I think all of the contractors worked extra hard to give them the best possible result. It’s a real showplace.”

At InfoComm 2010 — the most forward-looking pro-AV event in the world — you will find everything you need to advance your organization’s information communication goals and propel your business forward.

Technology.

More than 900 exhibitors bring the show floor to life, showcasing the latest technologies and hottest products on the market. Find the right equipment and integrated systems for your organization. Talk directly to exhibitors about the best way to implement the next wave of pro-AV solutions.

Trends.

From conferencing systems and connected classrooms to digital signage, smart rooms, sustainable practices and more, InfoComm uncovers buzzworthy trends driving the growth of the industry. Network with colleagues, collaborate with suppliers and take home valuable ideas that will enhance your working or learning environment

You Could Win!!.

Now is your chance to get to experience InfoComm10.. for FREE!!! CTI is sending a few lucky individuals to Las Vegas to to experience InfoComm10 first hand. If you would like the chance to win then submit your entry for the contest by clicking here or go to http://www.conferencetech.com/contest.php

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At InfoComm 2010 — the most forward-looking pro-AV event in the world — you will find everything you need to advance your organization’s information communication goals and propel your business forward.

Technology.

More than 900 exhibitors bring the show floor to life, showcasing the latest technologies and hottest products on the market. Find the right equipment and integrated systems for your organization. Talk directly to exhibitors about the best way to implement the next wave of pro-AV solutions.

Trends.

From conferencing systems and connected classrooms to digital signage, smart rooms, sustainable practices and more, InfoComm uncovers buzzworthy trends driving the growth of the industry. Network with colleagues, collaborate with suppliers and take home valuable ideas that will enhance your working or learning environment

You Could Win!!.

Now is your chance to get to experience InfoComm10.. for FREE!!! CTI is sending a few lucky individuals to Las Vegas to to experience InfoComm10 first hand. If you would like the chance to win then submit your entry for the contest by clicking here or go to http://www.conferencetech.com/contest.php

We wanted to update our website with a clean new look and streamline the site’s navigation, making it more intuitive and user-friendly for viewers to easily browse company information, project photos and services that CTI offers.

The new site features an extensive project portfolio, you can also keep up with the latest from our news feed about the company and the latest information from the AV world, and coming soon access to special discounts on a variety of our services.