Opening in late 2019, Akamai Technologies headquarters at Kendall Square in Boston features architectural details that feature high ceilings, natural light, and encourages green transit options.
In order to provide a welcome experience for the 2,000 employees and visitors, Akamai required an AV partner that would echo these details in the integration of the unified communication systems.
The company chose McCann Systems to help them in their AV journey.
The initial contact came from a long-standing professional relationship, as many of McCann’s projects do.
Luke French, now technical director at McCann Systems, has been working with Aaron Hagerman, senior video conferencing engineer at Akamai Technologies, for over 6 years.
The AV team was established from the relationship of Luke and Aaron, soon after bringing in other partners and stakeholders.
In addition to building, installing, and commissioning the audiovisual systems, McCann Systems offered on-site managed services.
The conference room technology and digital signage was designed through a partnership between ACT Associates and the AV team at 145 Broadway, with help from McCann Systems.
See the other 2020 Integration Award-winning AV projects here
This is the largest single audiovisual integration project in McCann Systems’ history, both in terms of square footage and total project value.
At over seven million dollars and 25 miles of cabling, the amount of design time, materials, and pure logistics involved in the integration is staggering.
McCann Systems worked closely with ACT Associates and the AV Team at Akamai Technologies to develop the design, plan the integration, and install the equipment over 18 months.
McCann Systems was charged with outfitting myriad spaces, including:
- Over 100 conference rooms
- 170 huddle and flex spaces
- Boardrooms, C-suite and private offices
- Security operations control center
- Executive briefing center
- Divisible conference room
- Gaming room
- Cafetorium occupying two floors
- Executive lounge and living room
- Device library
They installed a number of AV systems, including:
- 300+ unique AV installations
- 380+ displays
- 25.5 miles of installed cabling
- 40 digital signage displays
- Touchscreen wayfinding systems
- Videoconferencing systems
Connectivity throughout the building
Included in the corporate audiovisual install is a custom control system featuring functionality by Cisco and Crestron.
Some of the major professional equipment partners in this McCann Systems integration include NEC, Extron, Planar, Chief, Premier Mounts, Lab Gruppen, Leon, Shure, Middle Atlantic, and TSI Touch.
The local and national press have touted Cambridge as a tech powerhouse and the new 19-story building is no different.
In early November, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the day 7,500 employees would begin calling the building their new working environment.
The building, design, and interior have won multiple awards, and are earning high marks for sustainability, including WELL and LEED certifications.
Consolidating multiple buildings and technologies into this campus HQ has been deemed a success.
Equipment List:
- NEC and Planar Displays
- Extron, Crestron, and Cisco Video Hardware
- Cisco and Crestron Control Systems
- Shure, JBL, Biamp, Lab Gruppen Audio Equipment
- Premier Mounts
- Middle Atlantic Furniture Equipment
