Nested within the West Side of Midtown Manhattan, Hudson Yards has become one of the city’s most popular areas. The neighborhood has various shops and culinary experiences, corporate offices for global leaders, significant public art and dynamic cultural institutions and stunning residences. Spanning an entire city block, 50 Hudson Yards has become New York City’s fourth-largest commercial office tower. The tower sets a new standard for the workplace of the future with a working environment flooded with natural light, multiple dedicated lobbies and large amenity-laden sky lobbies.
The world’s most prominent investment management firm has relocated its corporate headquarters at 50 Hudson Yards, leasing 1 million square feet across 15 floors. Their headquarters stands out as one of the finest corporate office environments in the world, offering the next generation of office space in the Hudson Yards community. A-V Services, a leading provider of audiovisual solutions, was selected to create an experience to inspire employees, facilitate collaboration and connection and act as an extension of the company’s brand.
“There are many high-profile corporate environments at the Hudson Yards,” said Vincent Bruno, vice president of sales and marketing for A-V Services. “It’s one of the fastest-growing and most sought-after locations in the city. The audiovisual integration for this project had to deliver an exceptional employee experience. The project was a multimillion-dollar integration across 19 floors at the Hudson Yards. The technology included a vibrant array of video walls and hundreds of conference rooms with scheduling panels. It’s a spectacular project that we’re very proud of.”
Bruno added, “The consultant created the initial design. We worked directly with the consultant to meet the clients’ needs. We reviewed and evaluated their design, then collaborated with the consultant and the client to refine the design. We built the system at our headquarters in Fairfield, NJ, as we do with each of our projects. The consultant and the client came to our facility to punch out the system. We made changes and, upon completion of those changes, we built the racks, shipped them and deployed them onsite.”
A-V Services standardized Lightware’s Taurus UCX, a universal matrix switcher that enables users to share their content easily, switch hosts and control their meeting room easily and intuitively. Taurus UCX offers USB-C connectivity for simplified audio, video, power and control signal handling via one cable. The USB-C ports on Taurus UCX devices are where the user plugs into the system. Users can transfer data, video and audio signals, and the Taurus UCX will charge the connected device.
“We design and install for simplicity,” noted Bruno. “The best technology is that which is simplified. Lightware Visual Engineering does that. We selected Taurus UCX because of the user experience. We deployed Lightware’s Taurus UCX to simplify connectivity for BYOM in each conference room. Taurus UCX streamlines USB-C to HDMI connectivity. It’s incredibly helpful for BYOM applications.”
Lightware’s Taurus UCX is designed to tackle challenges in a meeting room and collaboration environment. Featuring an open environment protocol, where every bit of data is openly available for higher level management, control and monitoring systems, Lightware empowers AV professionals to unlock the possibilities in any AV operation. Taurus UCX allows seamless connectivity across various video conferencing applications, including Cisco Webex, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and others. It simplifies switching between video conference sources depending on the needs of a particular meeting.
“Lightware wasn’t in the initial design for this particular project but, due to ongoing supply chain disruptions, Lightware provided us with the solutions we needed to allow us to meet our project deadlines,” explained Bruno. “Many integration companies, like ours, cannot recognize revenue or expenses on a project until it’s completed. Lightware is incredibly cognizant of the challenges facing integration firms amid ongoing supply chain disruptions. They worked with us to ensure the products arrived on time.”
Bruno added, “It’s been a pleasure to work with Lightware because they have been very hands-on. Each sale is important to them. Jason Tirado [chief executive officer of Lightware US] and Steve Alexander [general manager for Lightware US] have worked closely with us to ensure the products are arriving on time and meet our expectations. We feel that we have a partner in working with Lightware.”
The result was a success at all levels. The global investment firm’s new home in Hudson Yards provides a destination that enhances personal connectivity among peers. It provides a unique opportunity to bring together all of the company’s capabilities, where they can better collaborate and most effectively serve our clients. Additionally, A-V Services' success with Lightware’s Taurus UCX has led the company to standardize the technology for future integration.
“We build to standards,” said Bruno. “We outline the standards for different rooms, such as huddle rooms, conference rooms, board rooms and others. We build standards for each room and document the standards for future projects. We’re continuously updating our standards as technology changes and improves. It’s always about ease of use, quality and performance. With Lightware, we know we’re working with a dependable manufacturer that builds quality products. Following our success from our initial integration, we’ve standardized their Taurus UCX and implemented the technology for other installations. Lightware’s Taurus UCX not only became a great alternative but has become a leader and the standard as we design and build future collaboration rooms.”
Lightware’s Taurus UCX is the latest in world-class technology that enables users to maximize their experience with boardroom or meeting room technology. Taurus UCX incorporates various devices, such as laptops, web cameras, and USB peripherals, including keyboards, mouses, laptops and displays. It can automate room assets like lights and shades without the complexity of using another control platform. Taurus UCX can be controlled via button panels, web browsers or by connecting a source. Together with the auto-switching and room control capabilities, Taurus UCX creates a simplified collaboration solution.
