Historic Meets Contemporary: Bold New Video Solution Facilitates Teamwork in Art Deco Building Renovation
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 01, 2014 -- Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH), the oldest privately held financial institution in the U.S., recently consolidated their three Boston offices into an historic building in Boston's Financial District. While a desire to commit to their Boston roots was a key motivator, a transformative building renovation that began in 2011 convinced the company to take a long-term stake in the historic building. A spacious segment of the Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH) tower's 7th floor has provided the company with a versatile new space in which custom video content can captivate and inform both BBH associates and clients.
The BBH portion of the Post Office Square building saw a multitude of bold architectural and interior upgrades during the renovation. In fact, Dyer Brown Architects and Habjan Architecture & Interior Design, the architectural firms responsible for the new structural and environmental design, won an IIDA New England Interior Design Award in the “Best Office Over 80,000 SF” category for their work. The impetus for transforming the 7th floor atrium into a collaborative workspace came from BBH’s desire to bring together the many different BBH teams that were now consolidated within the new headquarters. “BBH's previous locations were spread out and disjointed,” explained Michael Dow, SVP at BBH. Dow continued, “The atrium space creates the opportunity to bring the majority of the firm together for discussions, celebrations, and other events in a very functional, inviting setting.”
In addition to a bold new layout and interior, BBH knew they needed a scalable, sustainable communications and AV infrastructure to suit the new facility. Massachusetts-based Communications Design Associates (CDA), respected consultants in the audiovisual, data, and telecommunications markets, were contracted to design and orchestrate the many technological upgrades within BBH’s new corporate offices, including forty conference rooms, various other meeting spaces and two large group assembly areas. The aforementioned two-story atrium presented an opportunity to create a space that would facilitate exchange between the different groups within the company, as well as engage visiting clients.
Specialists in enlisting advanced AV to help enrich company communications, the CDA team proposed a demonstrative visual centerpiece to help achieve these goals. Working directly with DPI's application support team, CDA concluded that the high ambient light in the space would need to be overcome with a high-lumen projector solution. A DPI TITAN 1080p Quad 3D, one of the brightest projectors available today, was chosen to illuminate an enormous 10' x 17' custom screen manufactured by Stewart Filmscreen. Aside from the 16,000-lumen light output, the TITAN was chosen by CDA’s design team for, "its performance, size, price, and outstanding technical support."
The primary purposes for this two-piece projection masterpiece are large group presentations, 'state of the company' briefings and client receptions. Content varies based on the application, and is managed by a Crestron 16x16 Digital Media switcher. Content can also be streamed to offices within the building, including a 12th floor corporate video studio and corporate CATV system.
Finding a way to incorporate bold new AV solutions into historic buildings can be challenging, and the 7th floor space was no exception. Michael Maynard, CTS-D, Project Design Manager of CDA explained, "The projector is installed on a custom lift that recesses into a metal perforated ceiling. Sight lines were very challenging, and mounting locations were limited." With so many restrictions to consider, the TITAN's precise vertical and horizontal lens shift, combined with DPI's application support team double-checking the sight line feasibility each step of the way helped to ensure that the installation was a big success.
Resoundingly positive feedback has led to the space being used even more than was previously anticipated. “Collaboration is a key aspect of the BBH culture,” shared Dow, “and the multi-functional, casual workspace perfectly fosters this spirit.” A recent example includes a large reception that was held in the space, bringing together hundreds of attendees to recognize the new headquarters. Having attracted so much positive attention in such a short amount of time, the space has seen continual upgrades to further enhance its capabilities, including the addition of a production intercom and additional connectivity to and from the in-house video studio.
Michael Bridwell, Digital Projection International, http://www.digitalprojection.com, +1 (770) 420-1350, [email protected]
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