When the leading international authority in the home technology industry sets out to build a new global headquarters, you can bet it will be packed with the latest and greatest tech tools.
While the new CEDIA headquarters unveiled late last month in Fishers, Indiana, is packed to the rafters with smart technology, it is much more than a mere collection of gadgets. It is smart, modern, elegant, and engaging, and it is meant to inspire young designers and architects. In fact, the new CEDIA HQ embodies one of Draper’s own principles: it merges the technology you want and the functionality you expect with the design you desire.
The building is also multi-functional. There is an experience center that demonstrates the latest smart residential technology for every room in the house; a training facility for integrators, home technology professionals, and manufacturers; and office space and meeting facilities for CEDIA staff and leadership.
Draper projection screen solutions are used to support all three functions.
Size and convenience in the boardroom.
The CEDIA board of directors includes 13 people. To get all of them, plus CEDIA staff and leadership into one meeting space, a huge boardroom is needed.
“With a 40’ long boardroom table I needed screens big enough and bright enough for all to see from either end of the table,” said Ian Bryant, CEDIA senior director of technology application and innovation. “We needed screens that could disappear when not in use and be a high-quality material for the super bright projectors we selected.”
Projector throw distance was also a concern. It is only 5 feet from the Epson Pro 1505UNL projectors (with ELPLU03 lenses) to the screens.
Draper’s solution was two 16:10 format Ultimate Access V screens. At 137“ diagonal, they are big enough for presentations to be visible anywhere in the large room and the ISF-certified TecVision XH700X grey viewing surface provides high contrast and wide viewing angles without any hot spots being created by the closeness of the projectors. When the surfaces are retracted above the ceiling, the trap door closes behind them, completely hiding the screens.
Size and brightness for training.
Among the training facilities is a very large room for classes and presentations. The projector is an Epson Pro1500UNL with ELPLM09 lens. Bryant wanted the largest possible screen for the space. Draper provided a 165” diagonal 16:10 Onyx fixed frame screen for this room.
“When the room is open the seating in the very back is nearly 60’ away,” said Bryant, “so the 165” diagonal screen was necessary. We went with the 16×10 screen because presentations are going to be the main source used. The training room also needed to be able to produce a super bright image on the 165” screen in a bright environment.”
To get that brighter image, Draper bumped up the gain slightly with ISF-certified TecVision 1100X White.
Simple and compact for boot camp training.
As part of the training area, the building’s designers created so-called “advanced boot camp” rooms. These are rooms where people attending tech training boot camps get hands-on practice installing, wiring, and adjusting various types of equipment in a home theatre, including projectors. Draper provided 92” diagonal Salara screens with Matt White XT1000E viewing surfaces for these rooms. The 1.0 gain white surfaces are perfect for practicing projector adjustments, placement, and calibrations.
The three-floor, 30,000 square foot facility took 11 months of construction time. In addition to the areas already mentioned, it includes a top-of-the-lone home theatre, a lot of of well-lit open common spaces, kitchen facilities, podcast studio, and bicycle storage (and extra bikes on hand for visitors’ use).
“CEDIA’s 30th anniversary and the debut of our global headquarters provided the perfect backdrop and a unique opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our members and the truly global impact of the organization,” CEDIA global president and chief executive officer Tabatha O’Connor said in a press release. “Attendees represented all eras of CEDIA’s success and all facets of support for CEDIA. We’d like to extend a special thank you to the dozens of sponsors whose generous contributions to our building are helping us drive forward our mission to support residential integrators everywhere.”
To learn more about CEDIA, click here.
To find out how you can start including Draper solutions in your home technology projects, click here.
