Why the AV industry and not one of the other building systems trades, such as HVAC or electrical integrators? For one reason, AV professionals are widely recognized as early adopters of new technologies. In recent years, there has been a considerable emphasis on ease-of-use and ease-of-operation. In response, AV programmers, consultants, and integrators have developed unique skills for creating intuitive, user-friendly tools and control interfaces. What users and building managers often do not see is that behind the scenes, to create those seamless interfaces, AV professionals must often corral complex systems that don’t normally communicate with one another — and that’s the crux of the challenge when it comes to integrating disparate building systems.
Armstrong Atlantic State University's lab facility gets high marks for a VAV remedy, which provided much-needed quiet and significant energy savings.
Being energy efficient has a lot going for it. Students and faculty appreciate the comfortable environments. Staff members enjoy maintaining and servicing an intelligently controlled building. And everyone can feel good about contributing to a healthy, green future. But at what cost? There is plenty of whizz-bang technology that looks great… until you crunch the numbers. Is a 20-year return on investment too long to wait? Or is the alternative too expensive?
There are many options and factors to consider when selecting the right flooring for dance and performance spaces. For example, what material is best for the types of dance your program teaches, or could teach in order to grow the program in the future? Also, is your structural subfloor sealed, and above, at, or below grade? That matters because an unsealed, below-grade slab can swell or warp your dance floor by drawing up moisture from the ground.
Can security people on an open college campus ensure that a visitor — someone from outside the campus community — doesn’t walk onto campus and begin stealing laptops or, worse, start shooting people? Of course they can’t. Then again, it probably is possible to discourage crime at all levels by presenting a friendly and welcoming yet security-conscious face to visitors.
- By Michael Fickes
- 02/01/13
K-12 schools have been facing major budget constraints. At the same time, they're tasked with finding new ways to engage students -- AV technology would be one of those ways.
- By Mark R. Mayfield
- 02/01/13
For better accountability, some school systems are avidly embracing biometrics as means of identification and authentication to address this concern and to use for many other applications within a school environment.
Tremendous changes have happened in the world of digital displays and signage over the past five years. And these changes, along with other innovations in software and our digital culture (like the ubiquity of touch screens) have made digital signage a vi
- By Christine Beitenhaus
- 01/01/13
K-12 schools can begin recycling in a couple different ways. For instance, one school district might implement a formal program organized along the lines advised by a recycling services provider. Then again, an individual school might mount a guerilla mov
- By Michael Fickes
- 01/01/13
Carrying on our beginning-of-the-year tradition, here is what we can look forward to during 2013, from the viewpoint of several people who dedicate their time and talents for the purpose of improving our education system in a variety of ways -- energy and
- By Various Authors
- 01/01/13
College Planning & Management asked four schools in New Jersey to describe their preparations and their experiences battling Hurricane Sandy at the end of October.
- By Michael Fickes
- 01/01/13