Held in Amsterdam, the InAVation awards have been developed to recognise, celebrate and encourage professional excellence within the commercial and residential AV integration industries. Almost 8000 individual votes from over 60 countries throughout the EMEA region decided the winners of the 2007 event, selecting IVC's project over the Moscow Government Boardroom in Russia, the Adi Dassler Brand Centre in Germany and Tadco-De Beers Diamond World in South Africa.
IVC managing director Ray Harding commented, "The Senedd has been defined as the arena in which the future of Wales will be shaped, so it was hugely exciting to be involved, installing the cutting-edge technology that will help the public and parliament interact in a completely new way. Competing with such high profile and high quality international projects made winning the award an even greater coup for IVC and Somerset."
The Senedd, which was designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership, uses glass, slate, steel and Welsh oak to create a striking exterior. Richard Wilson, Director of capital and property for the Welsh Assembly Government challenged IVC to design an AV system that would allow the public to engage with the process of government, but that would also be "easy enough for anyone's granny to operate".
To meet the design brief, IVC delivered an extensive solution that allows parliament members to log on at any desk within the building, accessing a wealth of information including documents, agendas and vote results in Welsh or English. A simple messaging function makes it easy for users to contact each other, or request technical help if needed. The system in the debating chamber is one of the first of its kind to feature discreet computers with silent keyboards, optical mice, touch screens and audio conferencing.
As well as serving as home to the Welsh Assembly, the Senedd is also a live events arena, hosting a wide range of public and private functions. All bookings and signage are seamlessly coordinated by a sophisticated new central resource booking system, and live debates occurring within the building are shown on video screens in the cafeteria.
(Jim Evans)
