Audiovisual technology, which goes way beyond office monitors and speakers’ conventional capacities, is an integral part of contemporary workspace design. Year after year, the number of audiovisual devices that can complement a space or offer a new design opportunity grows, making it more relevant than ever for workplace design professionals to consider how these new tools can enhance a space’s usefulness and aesthetics. Below are a few examples:
Every Inch Counts in Video Conferencing
High-quality virtual collaboration spaces are more relevant than ever when more businesses employ remote staff or freelancers. Consequently, forward-thinking workplace planners must equip themselves with the most up-to-date technology to allow easy and streamlined interactive communication that is as successful as in-person meetings. One company installed a new camera that uses a 180-degree view using a unique three-lens configuration and real-time video stitching algorithms, enabling participants to sit just inches from the camera and still be seen on screen without interference or cutoffs. This allows for video conferencing in smaller rooms without losing participant presence on the screen.
Large-Scale Interactive Experiences Bring Brand Stories to Life
In one of the most recent examples of life imitating art, the once-fanciful notion of the entire walls functioning as interactive video screens has become a reality, and the phenomenon is gaining momentum. Interactive video walls are a comparatively high-end tool that can create engaging lobbies and communal spaces.
One e-commerce conglomerate transformed its resulting entrance into a brand-themed digital playground, displaying a 15-foot touchscreen centerpiece that encourages workers and visitors to tap icons reflecting eBay merchandise categories – cars, accessories, handbags, and other products and then see how many items were sold in that category in a given time frame.
Using Lighting Automation to Increase Employee Well-Being
Companies are researching how intelligent lighting can have an outsized effect on a space and its occupants, in accordance with the market trend toward health, wellness, and productivity. According to architecture and technology experts, people will not want to sit in a room if the lighting is not right. Natural lighting is often widely considered to be healthier for people than electric lighting. This concept prompted one energy firm to replace its office lights with 2,000 dimmable, color-tunable LED lights that run on a schedule to help employees’ circadian rhythms.
