Things to think about for your next conference or meeting room...

A timely article in the San Jose Mercury News today regarding how new technology is making Video Conferencing easy and affordable (Click HERE to view article). I found the article timely because it ties directly into what we are finding as we work with our client's on designing their new conference and meeting rooms.

Converge Line of Conference Furniture by Gunlocke

Almost every conference or meeting room we have worked on recently has involved some level of integrating Audio Visual (A/V) components into the furniture. This is not difficult, but it is something that needs to be considered early in the process, and requires a "team" approach between all trades. Critical items that must be factored early in the design and construction process include:

• Determining where the flat screen T.V. monitor will be positioned, to insure that the wall has adequate backing to support the equipment.
• Confirming the total cabling requirements for the equipment, to insure that any required "floor cores" are positioned properly, and are large enough to accommodate the required cabling, and that the conference table is designed to accommodate the required hardware plug-ins.
• Determining where all of the equipment will be housed, to insure that either the furniture or mill work is designed to accommodate both the weight of the equipment and to insure that the furniture is properly ventilated to keep the equipment cool.

The best suggestion we have for our clients is to think about three years ahead. You may not be using video conferencing (for example) today, but think about where you will be in three years, and plan the equipment and the office accordingly.