TSAV CELEBRATES WITH UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA

In celebration of the University of West Georgia's acceptance of the “Design & Technology" award from the Board of Regents for the Nursing Building, TSAV asked Senior A/V Engineer Keith Reardigan to discuss the A/V design process that contributed to the success of this technology rich project. TSAV is honored to contribute to the success of current and future nursing students at UWG.

As the senior design engineer at TSAV, Keith Reardigan shares his insight into why the project was such a success as well as his ideas about project management and design. His hard work on the project is an inspiration to all of us here at TSAV.

Why do you think this project was so successful?

“From a design perspective, the project was successful because we had to design the project twice. The systems were originally designed as analog video systems, and then the project was shelved. When the project came alive again, we were on the eve of the “analog sunset", so I recommended that the systems be redesigned to accommodate digital video as well as analog. Since we had two design rounds on the project, we realized better ways to do things in the second round.

Ultimately the success was due to the collaborative efforts of the design and installation teams. We really had a great owner advocate in Mike Conley at UWG, and Smith Dalia Architects were fantastic about involving us in field alterations and coordination during the design development and construction phases of the project. Lastly, but not least Unified AV, the Audio Visual Contractor was detail oriented and able to overcome unexpected field conditions and maintain design requirements as the project progressed."

What was one of the more challenging aspects of the project, and how did you overcome it?

“The most challenging aspect of this project was the coordination of data requirements. The campus had not had an AV Systems Design implemented on their campus networks that was as network heavy as the Nursing Building Design. The capture and video conferencing systems rely heavily on the owner's installed data network. The coordination needed to ensure that all physical outlets were provided as required and took multiple verification site visits and documentation rounds."

What was the one most valuable lesson to be learned from this particular project?

“Infrastructure inspections should be contracted to the AV Designer-Consultant, so the Consultant can verify the infrastructure will support the AV Design intent prior to releasing the design for bid. If the infrastructure that is provided requires the AV Design to be modified based on infrastructure conditions, the AV Consultant can do this modification proactively before an AV Contractor is awarded the project. This step will mitigate the potential for delays in the AV Integration Phase."