Ford AV has been recognized as the 2024 Commercial Integration Award Winner for Best Corporate Space!
The national enterprise-level technology solutions provider embarked on an ambitious audiovisual integration project for Capital One’s BLOCK A in McLean, Va., bringing their expertise to a 30-story building. This comprehensive undertaking encompassed a diverse range of meeting spaces, from small meeting rooms to large high-end conference facilities. Designed to serve both internal needs and leasing opportunities, the project highlights Ford AV’s ability to tailor sophisticated AV solutions across multiple floors, enhancing the building’s functionality and appeal.
Ford AV secured the Capital One project through a competitive bid, partnering with general contractor HITT to deliver all audiovisual infrastructure across 20 floors of the new headquarters. This endeavor required significant coordination with HITT, alongside navigating the complexities of the construction timeline.
Challenges also included managing complex room configurations that required advanced partition sensors and zoned audio systems. Integrating these systems with existing infrastructure necessitated meticulous planning to ensure compatibility without operational disruptions. Designing a user-friendly interface that balanced sophistication, and accessibility was crucial for a diverse range of users. High audio and video quality standards were maintained through meticulous calibration, especially in acoustically demanding spaces.
Photo by Antonio Daugherty
Ford AV Transforms 338 Rooms into High-Tech Hubs
AV systems were meticulously designed to cater to varied needs in a total of 338 rooms, including 11 conference rooms, HR interview rooms, mother suites, a FedEx room and a multipurpose room. Rooms were classified as:
- B Rooms: smaller rooms with either dual 98-inch displays or a single 173-inch SiliconCore DVLED video wall consisting of 64 LISA SC cabinets
- C Rooms: Larger spaces with dual 173-inch SiliconCore videowalls and AV control booths. One room was divisible, allowing it to convert into two Type B rooms.
All C rooms were equipped with 1.5mm pitch videowalls, Panasonic 4K PTZ cameras, DiGiCo S21 digital audio consoles, Shure Axient Digital wireless systems, Meyer active sound systems, Biamp DSPs, AJA 4K 12-G video recorders, Analog Way Aquilon video switchers, and Crestron control systems.
Additional spaces included a food court, where digital signage for menus, background speakers in multiple zones, and a teaching kitchen with cameras and wireless mics were installed for live cooking demonstrations.
A Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC) located on the 30th floor, featured three 98-inch displays for network monitoring, crucial for Capital One’s cybersecurity operations.
Photo by Antonio Daugherty
Room Technology
The various conference rooms at Capital One are equipped with audio systems designed for flexibility and optimal performance. Here’s how the audio splitting and management worked:
- Zoned Audio Distribution: Each conference room was divided into multiple audio zones, allowing for independent control of audio levels in different sections of the room.
- Partition Sensors: The rooms featured partition sensors that automatically detected when the room was divided into smaller spaces. This triggered the audio system to adjust accordingly, ensuring each subdivided space had appropriate audio coverage.
- Digital Signal Processing (DSP): DSP units were used to manage and process audio signals, ensuring clear and balanced sound distribution even when the room configuration changed.
- User-Friendly Control Interfaces: Touch panel interfaces were installed in each conference room, enabling users to easily adjust audio settings, including volume and source selection, for different zones. Ford completed and updated unfinished control systems for use in all rooms.
- Room Scheduling: Over 150 room scheduling panels are used for meeting room management. They provide real-time availability, instant booking, and integration with calendar systems, ensuring efficient use of spaces and resources.
- Wireless Microphones and Speakers: Wireless microphones and speakers were provided to ensure flexibility and ease of use, allowing for seamless audio transmission and coverage regardless of the room configuration.
- Automatic Audio Calibration: The systems included automatic audio calibration features to adjust sound levels and equalization based on the room layout and occupancy, ensuring optimal audio quality at all times.
Capital One valued several key aspects in their collaboration with Ford AV for the BLOCK A project. They needed high-quality AV systems that were reliable, user-friendly, and supported their conference rooms’ advanced needs. Timely installation was critical, even amidst scheduling changes, to prevent operational disruptions. The AV systems had to integrate seamlessly with existing IT and communication platforms.
Ford AV demonstrated flexibility and adaptability, adjusting plans to meet construction delays. Professionalism and effective communication were paramount, ensuring regular updates and transparency. Additionally, the AV systems needed to align with the facility’s high-end aesthetic, blending function and design seamlessly.
Photo by Antonio Daugherty
Capital One Applauds Ford AV for Top-Notch Systems
Capital One’s response to the AV systems installed by Ford AV was overwhelmingly positive, noting the high quality of both audio and video capabilities that consistently delivered clear and reliable performance across all meeting spaces. They lauded the user-friendly interfaces, which simplified complex systems for non-technical staff, and praised the seamless integration with existing infrastructure, enabling a smooth transition to advanced technology without operational disruptions. The flexibility to easily adjust room configurations, maintaining audio quality across various setups, proved invaluable to their dynamic operations.
Overall, Capital One commended the professionalism of the Ford AV team, emphasizing their responsiveness, comprehensive training sessions, and support, all of which contributed significantly to the project’s success.
