Project Management

When Are Consultants More Beneficial Than Full-Time Staff?

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While some Owners choose to hire consultants, others prefer to rely on in-house teams to perform much of the technology design and project management for their building programs. Owners might have previously had negative experiences with consultants and may believe they can ensure quality and cost-effectiveness by hiring their own staff. All of this is understandable, … Read more

Occupancy Measurement Enables Digital Workplace Management

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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought strong demand for occupancy measurement systems — an emerging technology that, prior to the pandemic, seemed limited by privacy concerns. Privacy is a legitimate concern and one that calls for careful governance. Furthermore, as the concern may relate more to the perception of these systems, it calls for transparent communication and … Read more

Technology Consultant Versus MEP-T: Which is the Better Value?

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Many sizable MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) firms offer technology consulting as part of an “MEP-T” (MEP+Technology) practice. Within a combined scope of services from an MEP-T firm, the cost for technology consulting appears lower than from a technology consultant like TEECOM. MEP-Ts will often claim a client is getting the same service at a lower price … Read more

Best Practices for Value Engineering AV

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There comes a time in almost every architectural project when budgets have to be re-evaluated. The process of budget alignment, known as value engineering, tends to hit “optional” items first, a category that frequently includes audiovisual (AV) technology. So how can an architect or owner make smart decisions about how to reduce the cost of AV … Read more

Door Hardware: Solving the Architect’s Biggest Headache

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When it comes to building design, doors are among the most problematic coordination items. I think most architects would agree with that statement. But to the uninitiated, it can sound ridiculous. They’re just doors, right? In fact, in modern buildings, a door can be a technology platform, and a sort of architectural project in miniature, involving … Read more

Should Technology Infrastructure Be Part of Your Base Building Design?

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When commercial building developers assemble a core and shell design team, it typically includes the consultants they feel are necessary to complete the base building design. What makes up the base building scope? Usually, it’s defined as the site infrastructure (roads, paths, pavement, drainage, landscape), building foundation and structure, building envelope, finished circulation and common areas … Read more

When to Engage a Technology Consultant on a Project

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Designing a building, either from the ground up or as a major renovation project, is an ambitious and complex undertaking. Technology infrastructure (also known as “low-voltage”) is just one element of these complex projects, but it’s an element that’s not often on the owner’s or design team’s mind at the forefront.

That needs to change. Network performance affects every aspect of business today, and telecommunications cabling and network systems must increasingly be considered part of the base building design scope to ensure the system works on day one and can grow and evolve over the life of the building.

In this piece, we talk with TEECOM Principal, Executive Vice President Larry Anderson about when to engage a technology consultant, including the pitfalls of waiting too long and how bringing on a consultant at the right phase can actually save the project money.

6 Tips for Better Communication between Architects and Engineers

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Architects and engineers are highly trained individuals who work in specialized fields. This allows them to do their work well, but it also means that to anyone not trained in their field, they sometimes seem to be speaking gibberish. No one likes gibberish. So when Eric Ibsen, Chief Design Officer, and Amie Zemlicka, Project Lead, both … Read more

A Tech Infrastructure Tour of San Francisco’s Salesforce Tower

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As we all know, there’s an engineering talent shortage right now. In reaction to this, TEECOM has been raising awareness about low-voltage engineering as a career path through outreach to college students and our summer internship program, TEECOMuniversity. Recently, one of our former interns from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, introduced us to the Cal … Read more

A Better AV Punch List: Collaborative Acceptance Testing

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Acceptance testing is a critical part of every audiovisual project. During audiovisual acceptance testing, the AV consultant examines and tests a project’s nearly completed audiovisual systems to ensure that they perform as intended and are installed professionally. Systems that work well but have visible flaws aren’t accepted, and neither are systems that have operational problems, even if they look good.