2009 PRO AV Spotlight Awards
Meet the 15 winners of the second annual PRO AV Spotlight Awards, projects that vary in complexity, scope, and budget, but share common traits, like the latest AV technology and successful coordination among AV integrator, consultant, architect, end user.
Suffice it to say, in the pages of PRO AV we briefly presented the 15 winners of the second annual PRO AV Spotlight Awards, projects that vary in complexity, scope, and budget, but share common traits. They employ the latest AV technology, be it HD-SDI video distribution or capacitive touch navigation. They’re the result of successful coordination among AV integrator, consultant, architect, end user, and other parties. And they demonstrably enhance the lives, businesses, education, spirituality, and enjoyment of the winners’ clients and their clients’ clients. Here at PRO AV Online, we present slideshows that lend more to the narrative of these award-winning projects.
If there were room enough and time, we’d tell you that the Pentagon’s Press Briefing Room, which recently got an AV makeover from PRO AV Spotlight-winner Audio Video Systems, includes five levels of switching, about 8,000 cables (including fiber-optic, LAN and control cables), 3,000 patch points, 12 full racks, and 19 below-console racks. We’d tell you that Alter Hall at Temple University, another Spotlight Award-winner, has 26 breakout rooms with electronic whiteboards, Web cam, plasma screens, and a touch-panel room reservation system. We’d also tell you that the new AV systems at Eastlake Community Church, integrated by winning AV firm Southern California Sound Image, required advanced intermodulation analysis software in order to navigate 12 wireless mic channels, four wireless in-ear monitor systems, local San Diego broadcasts, plus signals from nearby Tijuana, Mexico.
Credit: Kimberly Grimes
In the spring, PRO AV made its call for entries to the 2009 Spotlight Awards. Despite the battered economy, more than 60 projects were entered by AV professionals from around the world, including Brazil and Great Britain. A panel of six judges, including Pro AV editors, AV consultants, and the editors of architect and architectural lighting, pored over the entries and selected those that demonstrated innovation, collaboration, and an appreciable return on their clients’ investment. In response to feedback about last year’s Spotlight Awards, we were also on the lookout for projects that didn’t cost millions of dollars (although one stunning winner had a $12 million budget), because good things really can come in smaller packages. And although not every category produced a winner under $250,000, the Illinois College of Optometry by United Visual and the Cathedral of Christ the Light by Shen Milsom & Wilke stood out.
Then there was the Baptist Country Walk MRI/CT Center by Southern Business Communications, a Spotlight Award-winning project that not only came in under its $135,000 budget, but also earned Best Health Care AV Project overall by clearly showing the positive impact AV technology can have on people’s lives.
What were the most competitive categories? Judges saw so many great entries for Best Education AV Project that they named two: Temple’s Alter Hall and the University of Nevada Reno’s Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, with it’s fiber-based video distribution system. And this year, the influx of notable AV projects in museums prompted a new category, Best Museum AV Project, won by the California Academy of Sciences, whose project team, by necessity, included aquatic biologists. But a picture’s worth a thousand words, right? So without further ado, here are the winners:
Best Corporate AV Project
ITC Holdings Headquarters & Control Room
Best Education AV Project (Under $250K)
Illinois College of Optometry
Best Education AV Project (tie)
University of Nevada Reno Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
Best Education AV Project (tie)
Temple University Fox School of Business, Alter Hall
Best Entertainment/Arts AV Project
The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live
Best Government AV Project (Federal)
Pentagon Press Briefing Room
Best Government AV Project (State & Local)
Fairfax County Courthouse
Best Health Care AV Project
Baptist Country Walk MRI/CT Center
Best Hospitality/Casino AV Project
Mohegan Sun Casino of the Wind
Best House of Worship AV Project
Eastlake Community Church
Best House of Worship AV Project (Under $250K)
Cathedral of Christ the Light
Best Museum AV Project
California Academy of Sciences
PRO AV Spotlight Judges’ Award
The Comcast Experience
PRO AV Spotlight Judges’ Award
Harvard Decision Science Laboratory
PRO AV Spotlight Judges’ Award
College Basketball Experience
