As the US Department of Energy's (DOE) primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, ESIF houses 200 researchers and staff in eight diverse work spaces. Each of the spaces was uniquely designed to fit the research and testing needs of the different work groups and include A 3D collaboration lab, a control room that monitors and controls the facility processes, visualisation labs where experiments being performed in the electricity, thermal, and fuel labs can be visualised on a large, high-definition screen, and conference rooms of various sizes throughout the facility.
Architectural firm of record, SmithGroupJJR (SGJJR), engaged Convergent Technologies Design Group to design an audio solution to fit the distinct needs across the varied spaces. The flexibility and modular DSP architecture of Biamp's Audia and Nexia systems allowed Convergent Technologies to design the best audio solution for new building, the company says. "Early involvement in a project is key," said Paul Corraine, president of Convergent Technologies Group. "Our long relationship with SmithGroupJJR enabled us to forecast and creatively solve for many unique needs the NREL had, while developing a seamless technological solution."
(Lee Baldock)
