Water/sewerPublic/private

Originally just a two-room Cape with a central chimney and a loft built for settler Nathan Tobey in the late 17th century, this 330-year-old First Period home is a modern-day winner, recipient of the towns 2019 Historic Preservation Award. The home dates to roughly 1682; it was built in preparation for Tobeys marriage to Mary Sargent and bequeathed to him in 1710 upon his fathers death.

Under the careful supervision of the various owners in the centuries that followed, this Cape Cod home was greatly expanded to eight rooms and four bathrooms. It has grown wings in the centuries since it was first built, and owner Janet Chakarian, who received the preservation honor, renovated it. The town praised Chakarian and her team for removing lead paint from all of the walls and floors, revealing the warm luster of the original oak and pine flooring. She also repaired, rather than replaced, the windows.

Clustered off the front hall are the living, family, and dining rooms, and in the hall off the dining room, there is a full bath with the laundry and then a fully updated kitchen, a walk-in pantry, and a bedroom used as a den. Off the family room, a small space known in First Period homes as the birthing room could be used as a home office, according to Chakarian.

The living room features exposed wood beams suggestive of the ribs of a clipper ship, wide-plank wood flooring, several windows overlooking the backyard, and a wood-burning wide-hearth fireplace with a beehive oven thats original to the house one of five fireplaces in the home. The ceiling is just 6 feet high.

The room flows into a dining room that offers exposed beams and a replica of an antique chandelier.

A hallway off the dining room leads to a full bath with a black-and white octagonal ceramic tile floor, board-and-batten wainscoting, a porcelain pedestal sink, and a shower with a clear-glass door and a subway tile surround and then the eat-in kitchen.

The kitchen was updated in 2017 with the installation of new white wood cabinets (some with glass fronts), granite counters, stainless-steel appliances, recessed lighting, and an island with seating on three sides and a microwave on the fourth. The wide-plank pine floors are original to the kitchen. There is a pantry off the kitchen and a bedroom with blue bead-board walls that is used as a den.

The family room can be reached via the dining room or the front hall. It has exposed beams, French doors to the stone patio and backyard, built-in bookcases, and a fireplace.

The second floor of this home consists of two wings. The one that starts directly above the front door contains the owners bedroom, which is nearly 170 square feet and features wide-plank flooring, a fireplace, and exposed beams painted a softening white. The second bedroom, across the hall, is roughly 145 square feet. It is painted a bright pink and has a fireplace. These two bedrooms, with their Federal-style fireplaces, are believed to be mid-18th-century additions.

The full bathrooms on this level have been updated and are back to back: One is painted blue and white and has a shower with a clear-glass door and a white porcelain pedestal sink, while the other offers green and white walls and a mid-century porcelain pedestal sink and tub. Both are green. The flooring in each is a weaved pattern of white and corresponding iridescent blue or green ceramic tiles.

The final bedroom is above the kitchen and overlooks the backyard. It comes with transom windows on one side and its own bath consisting of an antique tub, a painted wood-plank floor, and a white porcelain sink on metal legs.

This floor also offers a small front-facing room adjoining the owners room (currently used as a toddler bedroom) and another backyard-facing small room adjoining the pink bedroom that could be used as a dressing room.

The basement is unfinished. The house sits on a stone foundation on a 1.06-acre lot surrounded by stone walls, and includes a private pond.

The home is listed on the Massachusetts Historical Commissions Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth and as a structure of significance in the Town Hall Square Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places nominations for Massachusetts.

Tori Harrison of Sothebys International Real Estate in Osterville has the listing. As of press time, an offer had been accepted on the property.

See more photos of the home below:

Follow John R. Ellement on Twitter@JREbosglobe. Send listings tohomeoftheweek@globe.com. Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes and will not respond to submissions we wont pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter atpages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUpand follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter@globehomes.

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Home of the Week: An award-winning Cape antique for $524,900 - Boston.com

The school board was in approval for the high school to update and renovate the Kerr gymnasium. The overall cost to the project is around $350,000.

The decision came after a recommendation by the Facilities Committee on Sept. 8, and was later reviewed by the Finance Committee at its Sept. 21 meeting the same day as the monthly school board meeting. The administration pushed for the project to be done now as they said it was doubtful that the funds would be available in the future without taking on additional debt.

The flooring project would be done by Baseman Bros., Inc., who installed the gymnasium floor at the elementary school. The company also installed the current Kerr gymnasium flooring system at the high school in January 2001. The fact that the floor is almost 20 years old is another reason for pursuing the project.

District Administrator Matt Shappell noted in a memo to the board that the floor is in poor shape and is arguably at or near the end of its life.

In a letter from Baseman Bros. Vice President and Estimator Vicki Marshall to Sara Michalski, Project Manager for Findorff Construction, it was noted that the current style of floor in the Kerr gym (Mach 1) has been discontinued. Marshall suggested using the Robbins Bio Channel Star floor an anchored system as it is the same thickness and no adjustments to the basketball backstop would be necessary.

Marshall also stated that the Bio Channel Star option has better characteristic performances it is designed to move up and down with the impact of the athlete as well as side to side to allow for expansion and contraction due to heat and humidity.

The anchoring eliminates dead spots as it holds the floor system down or limits the amount of separation between the pad from the concrete during humidity swings, Marshall said.

In addition to painting the surface of the main basketball floor, Baseman Bros. will also paint lines for two cross basketball courts, a main volleyball court (with two cross courts), and six badminton doubles courts.

Also within the project, the current bleachers with be replaced with new wooden ones as they are cheaper to maintain and replace than its counterparts.

The overall renovation would also allow for a larger visitors section of bleachers, making it the same size as the home side.

Itll be nice to have the visitors not walk past the home section of fans (when they enter), McCracken said.

Also, a benefit for adding more bleachers is for Poynette to possibly be able to host neutral-site games and sectional games during WIAA tournaments. Currently the gym is not sanctioned by the WIAA for those types of games.

The estimated timeline for the entire project was to begin toward the end of September with demolition, and then paint the walls in the first two weeks of October. The installation of the flooring is scheduled to be done by Thanksgiving, according to the districts timeline. Lastly, the installation of the bleachers, and any other necessary work should be completed by Christmas to finalize the project.

Other ongoing construction

There will still be possible renovations to classrooms at the middle and high schools. Each room costs about $20,000-$25,000 and consists of new flooring, paint, ceiling, furniture and other small upgrades.

The work will be done as time, and the budget, allows.

Original post:
Board approves $350000 renovation project of Kerr gym at PHS - HNGnews.com

The colloquial term for cellular space in offices is "cubicle," as in, "Working in that office destroys my soul -- it's a cubicle farm." Rarely does the word cubicle have positive connotations.

In recent decades, classic cellular office design was replaced by all kinds of semi-open layouts. The thinking was that eliminating walls would foster community and collaboration. At the extreme end of the open-plan spectrum, there's the "hot desk" setup: desks at a communal table and in private, enclosed booths, but nobody owns any one space day to day.

But now, thanks to COVID-19, everyone suddenly wants walls between themselves and their neighbors. The closer to hermetically sealed, the better. According to experts, we're seeing a resurgence of cellular design, with pandemic-driven innovations such as portable partitions and hand sanitizing stations.

The question some ask: Was this really entirely caused by COVID-19, or like so many societal changes, just accelerated by it?

A cellular office is one designed so each employee has their own private little space enclosed by walls -- not necessarily permanent or floor-to-ceiling, but tall enough to give each space some privacy.

Cellular office spaces can be traced back to medieval times, according to some design history scholars. The modern cubicle layout was created in the 1960s and hit its peak in the '80s. The first big dot-com wave brought open-plan offices back into fashion, with a focus on disrupting corporate structure and encouraging collaboration. But almost from the start, open-plan office spaces have annoyed people; thus, there's almost always been backlash against them and some push toward a mix of open-plan and cellular spaces.

In the process of finding a compromise between open-plan and fully cellular, all sorts of innovative hybrid spaces have been designed. There are flexible cube clusters that can be reconfigured as needed. There are the colorful work-play multi-environments favored by startups and hipster co-working spaces. And there are open-plan offices with breakout rooms all around the perimeter.

Even prior to COVID-19, the rule of thumb for office design was leaning toward a combination of open-plan and cellular design. And it's telling that getting one's own private space continues to be a perk of promotion to a higher-level role. For all the complaints people have about cubicles, very few people would choose an open desk over a corner office -- and that was before the pandemic.

Almost immediately after COVID-19 hit, there was a spike in demand for every type of easy-installation safety measure. These included:

Almost immediately after began the arduous process of determining whether these quick-fix solutions actually had any real impact on reducing virus transmission.

If, for example, it's determined that installing portable partition walls doesn't keep an office space safe when people are still breathing the same air, it will likely mean leadership focuses on improving indoor air quality, filtration, and ventilation. But these partitions might not necessarily come down if they make people feel safer.

Because social distancing has become synonymous with safety, it's safe to assume cellular office design will be the norm for the foreseeable future. The need for physical distancing plays well into the fact that many people truly hate the chaotic, zero-privacy environment of open offices.

But don't expect to see a return to the hushed, physically and psychologically blocked cube farms of 30 years ago. While people might be wary of being physically close to colleagues, most want to resume interacting in person with other humans again. They simply want to be reassured it's safe to do so.

Read more here:
The Return of Cellular Office Space - Motley Fool

Houstons Rothko Chapel is open again following a meticulous update by Architecture Research Office (ARO). The chapel originally opened in 1971 and is part of local philanthropists John and Dominique de Menils impressive cultural legacy, which also includes the neighboring art museum The Menil Collection. Designed collaboratively by patrons, abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko, and local architects Howard Barnstone and Eugene Aubry, the chapel is an unassuming octagonal structure with windowless beige brick walls. It is both a site-specific art installation constructed to house 14 enormous bespoke paintings from Rothkos dark period and a consecrated interfaith chapel with a mission of promoting civil rights.

The most recent refresh by ARO follows a 1999 intervention that sought to address some of the buildings technical shortcomings, including acoustical problems and glare entering through the skylight. Neither the first iteration nor the previous renovation, however, lived up to the original designers aspirations, which were to create an environment for spiritual enrichment and self-discovery through art. Whether it was the bad lighting or the popcorn ceiling, something broke the spell Rothkos looming paintings were meant to cast.

It wasnt a restoration, said ARO partner Stephen Cassell about the firms recent work. It was about strengthening the original intent of the experience.

Improving this experience began on the exterior, where the architects darkened the paving of the entrance plaza to reduce glare and prepare the eye for the inner sanctum. The existing door was shifted outward and a new replica of the door was added deeper within the vestibule, forming an insulating airlock. The antechamber was emptied of its previous function as a bookstore (this and additional visitor services were moved to a new building across the street), resurfaced with acoustic plaster, and painted a slightly darker color. Acoustic plaster was also used on much of the main gallery, where the roof was replaced and a new, louvered skylight added. ARO worked with George Sexton Associates to tune the daylighting, which has a silvery quality that responds to exterior environmental changes, and on the electric lighting scheme, which consists of digital projectors embedded within a recess around the skylight and mirrors that bounce the projectors light toward the paintings. The rear wall, which holds the main triptych, was moved six inches inward so that a shadow cast by the soffit no longer cuts off the top of the artwork.

The team also edited out extraneous elements.

Weve renovated probably half a dozen midcentury modern buildings, said ARO partner Adam Yarinsky. They get diminished over time by incremental things: surface conduit, the stray light switch, the thermostat. The opportunity to cleanse that was really important.

ARO also discreetly integrated code-necessitated features like a fire suppression system and exit signs, none of which are visible from the inner sanctum. This attention to detail has brought the Rothko Chapel as close as its ever been to an ideal place for spiritual communion with art.

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Architecture Research Office brings the Rothko Chapel closer to its creators' vision - The Architect's Newspaper

Exterior work is moving along on the residential conversion and retail addition at One Wall Streetin the Financial District. Designed bySLCE Architectsand developed byMacklowe Properties, the projected $1.5 billion undertaking is the largest office-to-condominium conversion in New York City history. When complete, the property will yield 566 residential units with sales handled and marketed by CORE, as well as a 44,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market and a Life Time fitness center on the lower levels.

Recent photographs show the stepped design to the undulating floor-to-ceiling glass reaching the top of the steel structural addition. This entire section extends outward from the mid-century annex portion of One Wall Street. There is a layer of thin protective blue film on the majority of the envelope, but the final appearance is visible in the second level above the sidewalk scaffolding.

One Wall Street. Photo by Michael Young

One Wall Street. Photo by Michael Young

Most of the warm-colored stone envelope is now in place on the multi-story expansion and addition of One Wall Street, though glass installation has yet to commence. The southern elevation features a subtle outward curve and some minor grooves in the shape of the stone paneling. This small architectural detail is a nod to the skyscrapers sculptural Art Deco crown, and combines the use of modern construction methods and materials with the classic New York style of the early 20th century.

One Wall Street. Photo by Michael Young

Below is a view of the eastern side of the taller portion of the skyscraper, where the mechanical hoist still stands attached.

One Wall Street. Photo by Michael Young

Here we see the side of the residential addition that faces Wall Street with some steel framework awaiting its cladding.

One Wall Street. Photo by Michael Young

One Wall Streets residences and Whole Foods Market are both likely to open in 2021.

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Progress Continues on One Wall Street's Addition and Conversion in the Financial District - New York YIMBY

"Most people may think of LG as a washing machine and refrigerator brand but we provide solutions in many sectors that consumers don't see," remarked Dr. Lee Kam-gyu, head of LG's Air Solution business unit. "LG is constantly investing in capabilities to raise the trust of our customers and we will reinforce this commitment through better integrated solutions, expert insights and more dedicated support to become a trusted partner for HVAC in the region."

Since the pandemic outbreak and the increasing time spent indoors, concerns over indoor air quality have grown. Needs for high quality HVAC and air management solutions have increased due to the pandemic with LG's products which not only meet but surpass guidelines for clean air in the region seeing unexpected demand.

To further raise the value for MEA customers and enhance the level of trust in the brand, LG is focusing on its three core values of integration, expertise and commitment. As an integrator, LG will deliver even more optimized HVAC and energy management solutions for each and every project to achieve the minimal total cost of ownership (TCO) for its clients. With its deep expertise, LG will advise its customers with its technological experience-based knowledge to find the most effective and efficient solution to any problem. And as a committed partner, LG promises to go beyond the installation of its solutions to service, maintain and help manage its products through the system's lifecycle.

James Lee, president of LG Middle East and Africa, reinforced LG's experience and commitment in the Middle East and Africa. "The key reason behind our success in this region to date is our commitment to understand and respond to the real needs of the MEA market," said Lee. "Expanding beyond this will require significantly more technology, more innovation and especially more customer service."

Consistent with this strategy, LG has introduced products and solutions in the region that are designed to deliver the best technology that the company as to offer. For example, a new, ceiling-based DUAL Vane Cassette lineup boasts a powerful five-step air purification process that is seamlessly designed into the unit itself. With its new air purification-inclusive design, this advanced product delivers various airflow modes that are optimally customized for all spaces, delivering clean, filtered air to its indoor destination. What's more, LG's innovative Round Cassette for commercial spaces not only provides a luxurious design that makes a space look more inviting, it also covers large areas with flexible airflow compared to conventional 4-Way cassette. Its increased airflow and detailed wind direction makes it possible for its cool breeze to spread widely and evenly.

"As a global total provider of HVAC solutions, we look forward to enriching both human life and nature in the Middle East and Africa," said Lee.

About LG Electronics, Inc.

LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing 77,000 people working in 125locations around the world. With 2017global sales of USD 55.4billion (KRW 61.4 trillion), LG comprises fivebusiness units Home Appliance & Air Solutions, Home Entertainment,Mobile Communications, Vehicle Component Solutionsand Business Solutions and is one of the world's leading producers of flat panel TVs, mobile devices, air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators. For more news and information on LG Electronics, please visitwww.LGnewsroom.com.

About LG Electronics Air Solution Business Unit

LG Electronics' Air Solution Business Unit is a global leader in HVAC and energy solutions with a comprehensive portfolio of proven expertise and performance. Launching Korea's first residential air conditioner in 1968, LG has paved the way for total HVAC solutions over the last five decades through strategic utilization of advanced technologies. With a well-established production base and industry-leading capacity, the company provides effective HVAC solutions for both the commercial and residential sectors. Its wide range of cutting-edge systems for heating, ventilation and air conditioning truly represent LG's initiative in offering the most optimized solutions for a variety of uses. Pursuant to its mission of "Innovation for a Better Life," the company offers solutions boasting high energy efficiency and reliability based on its state-of-the-art knowhow and technologies to ensure the most optimal environment for users. For more information, please visit http://www.LG.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1283522/LG_Air_Solution_MEA_Digital_Press_Conference_Overview.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1283524/LG_Air_Solution_MEA_Digital_Press_Conference__LG_Speakers.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1283523/LG_Air_Solution_MEA_Digital_Press_Conference_DUAL_Vane.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1283525/LG_Air_Solution_MEA_Digital_Press_Conference_Round_Cassette.jpg

SOURCE LG Electronics, Inc.

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LG Commits to Expansion Strategy in Middle East and Africa As Most Trusted HVAC Partner - PRNewswire

When looking to create an updated look for the larger than life fashionista talk show host Wendy Williams, production designer Andy Walmsley had the advantage of looking no farther than his own home for inspiration, he told NewscastStudio in an exclusive interview.

It helps that my wife is very glamorous, I live amongst glitter and sparkle at home, said Walmsley, meaning hes been able to add glamour, sparkle and camp, to his design repertoire.

Walmsley had just wrapped up projects for Ru Paul and also created a permanent drag race theater show in Las Vegas, so that, combined with his home decor, was all great experience in the new design for Wendy Williams.

Hes also familiar with Williams and her show, which returned for Season 12 on Sept. 21, 2020.

He was originally called up to see if there was a way to use the Wendy studio to also produce a talk show starring Nick Cannon (the two share production companies). Wendy tapes in the same Chelsea complex that is also home to Rachel Ray.

I returned with renderings and animations for a transformers type set that had walls that span around other walls and whole giant units that could pivot around to create a completely different set in the same studio which could turn around with about four stagehands in less than 30 minutes, he explained.

Cannon has filled in for Williams during some of her health challenges but his show was ultimately postponed from its 2020 debut after controversial comments he made on his podcast.

When working with the design for Wendy, however, Walmsley always wanted to keep a level of sophistication and refinement to the look no matter how over the top its star maybe.

Take the W in the shows rendition of Williams first name its a clean, well-angled motif and, while it showed up in an abstract way on the double doors she enters through on the previous set, it didnt match the letterform in the shows biggest piece of visual branding.

Walmsley addressed that by creating an internally lit installation of a giant W thats a typographic twin to the logo design. He also continued that notion by installing large dimensional versions of the show logo throughout the studio.

It helps that my wife is very glamorous, I live amongst glitter and sparkle at home, said Walmsley, meaning hes been able to add glamour, sparkle and camp, to his design repertoire.

While frequent viewers will note the basic layout of the set is essentially the same, Walmsley said that was a key part of how he approached the project after getting some sage advice about what types of things Williams and her team would be reluctant to change.

However, that guidance also helped him understand better where he could push the envelope and encourage the show to step outside its comfort box all in the name of creativity.

One change that he gently pushed through was dropping the cityscape backgrounds that appeared behind the double doors, in the audience area and the far right wall (those graphics still appear in some of the images in this article because they were taken while design work was still being done).

While the fact that element appears in the shows graphics package meant it could be a challenge to move away from and the show is quite proud of its New York City roots, he was ultimately able to install vertical metal sculptural screens with angles and accent lighting that was placed in many of the same places as the city imagery had been as well as serving as a layered element behind the giant W on the doors.

Ultimately, the look has the art deco feel of something you might find in Rockefeller Center or the Chrysler Building but also doesnt feel too much like Hollywood, Walmsley noted.

It helps that the angles in the units are a close match to the ones in the W.

One battle Walmsley opted not to fight (and for good reason) was making any changes Wendys famous purple chair or the table next to it.

It had just been replaced in 2016 and its become almost like another co-host just like Williams calls her studio audience thanks to its prominent on camera appearances during the shows Hot Topics segment.

Although Walmsley kept his hands off the chair, he did use it as a jumping off point for a key new glam element introduced in the new look.

I knew I wanted to do tufted fabric with plastic diamond buttons, he explained, but knew from experience it could be a pricy proposition to use real fabric.

As luck would have it, he was searching for 3D ceiling panels for another show and stumbled upon faux tufted panels for $16 apiece on, as Williams would say, the Google Schmoogle.

He ordered a piece and tested it out and was amazed at how real it looked, so another, much larger order was placed for the two by two-foot panels.

All we had to do was glue them to the set, fill the seams and scumble paint to fake a velvet fabric texture then glue the plastic diamonds on top of the buttons, he recalled.

Faux diamonds also found their way into the vertical columns, including ones that had been updated in the 2016 redo but the build team stripped those apart in order to install vertical lightboxes and columns of four-inch glass diamond-shaped paperweights.

Some of it you can see its fairly obvious and a lot of it you dont even notice its subtly lighting walls and areas that need a kiss of light.

Walmsley found those online too and ordered one to test at home (in his bathroom, thanks to its lighting fixtures). Pretty soon hundreds were on the way to be installed in these custom creations.

Another big update is the so called media wall which is now completely seamless and curved thanks to Unilumins Upad LED 2.6mm tiles in a 21 foot wide by nearly 10 foot tall space.

Viewers will also notice plenty of brightly edge lit elements created with a whole lot of LED tape both in places you might expect and some more subtle spots.

Some of it you can see its fairly obvious and a lot of it you dont even notice its subtly lighting walls and areas that need a kiss of light, notes Walmsley.

Other updates include bringing in metallic gold and violet textures to the spaces pillars.

The install for the new studio started in August 2020, but Walmsley was on the West Coast and traveling to New York would have required a 14 day quarantine, some ultimately he monitored the install remotely thanks to photos and video calls.

Like most talk shows, Wendy is forgoing a studio audience due to coronavirus, instead filling the seats with socially distanced staffers and crew.

Set Design Andy WalmsleyLighting Design Marilyn RennagelSet Fabrication Acadia ScenicDisplay Integration Resolution StagingLED Unilumin

Link:
The dippin' and doin' that goes into creating a glam, sparkly new home for 'Wendy Williams' - NewscastStudio

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the country in March, many universities were sent scrambling to establish methods of transitioning their academic programs to the virtual realm. The University of Southern California was not one of them.

Thanks in part to the foresight of USCs director of learning environments, Joe Way, the school had recently begun rolling out its next generation of educational technology on a foundation of cloud- and software-based systems, of which UC integration was a key component. Sometimes, forward thinking can solve unforeseen challenges.

Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to Distance Learning and Streaming

I was thinking it would be good to have cloud-based collaboration, because then we could have experts out in the field videoconference into the class as a guest lecturersomeone whos in the field in Africa, something like that, Way said. I didnt realize it was going to answer the hybrid problem for the pandemic response, but I got lucky that way.

Way is no stranger to looking at AV designand life, in generalfrom many angles. Long before he took his current role at USC, he also studied there, earning a bachelors degree in philosophy. What do you do with a philosophy degree? You go into the entertainment industry! Way quipped. For more than 25 years, he worked in business development in the entertainment industry in Southern California, but felt drawn to higher education. Eventually, he shifted to a career doing in-house integration at California Baptist University.

Before moving into his current role, however, Ways philosophical inquisitiveness led him to a PhD program in church production at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. I had been a tech director of a few major houses of worship here in the L.A./Orange County area, and my PhD involved bringing it full circle, he said. The curiosity he felt was the disconnect between artistry and technicality in both the AV integration and entertainment businessesneither of them combined the two sufficiently. My idea was how can you do both of those? he said. How can you ensure that the high-quality experience exists, which is what live production drives on, and then put that into standards and a level of expectation that commercial integration relies on? And thats what I did for my PhD.

Embarking on his new role at his old school with a fresh perspective, Way came to terms quickly with the challenge ahead. USC had just finished a complete reorganization of the entire IT department, and the first task given him by the CIO was to evaluate everything. See where we are with fresh eyes, and dont be afraid to blow it up, he was told.

For three months, he audited everything, beginning with the state of the legacy technology, a hodgepodge of solutions that was a decade out of date. Where I thought that I was going to turn in an OK, were good, and heres a five-year plan to stay along, actually, my response was We need to blow it up and start over, he said.

He began with a roadmap: We know that UC, AV over IP, cloud, and software-based technologies are the direction were moving in, so I wanted to be a leader in it, he said. And thats how we came up with our design. Everything that I could do with software or IT-based technology, I wanted to focus on. Anything I could move to the cloud, I wanted to add in.

Way knew he couldnt introduce such a radical technology shift without also bringing in the right staff to support the implementation of his vision.So,as part of USCs digital transformation, he sought out the best and brightest talent he could. I created a list of all the qualities I would want out of the best team I could think of, he said. And that would not just be the best designers and AV techs and installers, but knowing we have to serve our customers, who has counseling experience? How about PR and marketing? And we also oversee digital signage, so what does our branding look like? He also formed a customer experience department to stay on top of how the faculty trained on and used the technology. By the end of October, the new team had been onboarded and Way was able to move on to the technical execution of the new systems.

The next step was an extensive testing process to find the right tech solutions. I knew that I wanted to go with AV over IP, first and foremost, Way said. He set up a test lab, and brought in a wide array of solutions to try out. We set up everything you could think of, and we put it through the ringer, he said. We did that for about six weeks, looking at everything. Ultimately, Way landed on Crestrons NVX for the AV-over-IP backbone. Even though I did select Crestron for the infrastructure, at my previous institution, I selected all Extron after doing the same thing, Way said. Im not someone whos like This is the technology I have to have; Im not brand stuck. Im paid to make the best decision for the university, and whatever the current situation is, thats what Im going to go with.

Also at the core of the new solution is Crestrons Flex UC engine, Dante Domain Manager, BrightSign Cloud for digital signage, and Shure IntelliMix Room software DSP to manage all of the ceiling mics. The more we could move into the software/IT world, we saw how pieces could work better together, because youre having things talk off APIs rather than RS-232, Way said.

To ensure the system would get the greatest adoption, Way made sure to consult design-centered faculty at each step in the process. We asked people: What do you like? Whats easy? he said. So, it was more like, Pick the way you like the feature, and then well figure out the solution to deliver it to you.

This user focus extended to the design of the interfaces. We had our users design our touchpanels, to simplify it, he said. I hate touchpanels that are overthinking, where theres a button for everything. So we made it very simple; its a walkthrough in their language. As an example of this, Way points to the on/off button: Our interface doesnt say System On and System Off. Thats AV talk, he said. Its Start Class and End Class. Thats faculty talk. Its amazing: that one change makes the faculty feel a lot more comfortable.

The proof-of-concept phase concluded in December, the plan was finalized and funded in January, and phase one of the installation began immediately after. Then, a couple months later, the pandemic hit.

With its Zoom-integrated, future-proofed game plan, Way said that not much of the first phase of installation was altered at all. What the pandemic really did was move it all forward, he said. When we thought we were going to finish in August, we could finish in May because the campus cleared out.

Phases two and three of the new systems rollout did, however, incorporate adaptations to the campus design to better suit new methods of instruction. Phase two added some more spaces; we turned some traditional spaces into hybrid spaces, and we turned production rooms and auditoria into streaming rooms, Way said. In addition, a lot of group huddle spaces were turned into streaming spaces with DTEN all-in-one Zoom conferencing systems. Phase three also created 50 production studios from which lectures and presentations can be streamed.

The one thing that we discovered along the way is that the facultys real comfort zone is the classroom, Way said. So, even if students are going to be virtual, we can move a faculty member into their classroom and give them their whiteboard back, and put a confidence monitor there so they can see the students. If they can speak where theyve spent their careers perfecting their craft, then thats only going to be better for the students. If the faculty members are more effective, the learning is more effective.

Overall, Way points to the strength of his teams initial system designand a little bit of luckas the reason his rollout didnt need much adjusting to handle the challenges that 2020 has dealt. When people were rushing, saying How are we going to do this? I could just put my hand up and say Guess what? We already solved it; we already figured out how we can do this virtually, he said. And we already figured out how we can do it in a hybrid sense. HyFlex [short for hybrid-flexible] is the buzzword now, but I had 200 rooms of HyFlex before the buzzword ever came out. Again, complete accident, but it solved the problem.

Another reason for the success of USCs tech refresh is the tight-knit nature of the IT Services (ITS) department under which Ways learning environments team falls. You cant avoid the rest of the IT department anymore like you could in the old days of AV, he said. To stay on the same page, there is a weekly general directors meeting for all of IT to discuss issues and projects. When the tech refresh was in its second and third phases, there was a daily stand-up meeting with all of the infrastructure teams and the UC team, another key part of ITS.

Its a really good collaboration, Way said. Im not going to say we dont have disagreements; but its not that you butt heads as much as you just need to be educated in how youre impacting other people, a reference to the start of the process, when the IT team first came to terms with the sheer bandwidth that the AV systems would be eating up. But once I educated them on the purpose of what were doing, and they could educate me on how this is impacting the network, you actually both grow through that experience. Ive learned more about networking in the last four months than I have in my entire career.

As an example, Way highlights the challenge of multicast containment. I was used to multicast from Danteknowing that you can send it everywhere and knowing that it subscribesbut you forget that as you do scalability, and you have so many more devices, especially NVX units that are sending 750Mbps consistently, that is a lot of bandwidth, he said. And if that cant be contained within various leaves, you can take down a network.

After a professional career bouncing between paths of interest, it seems Way has truly found his niche as a university tech manager. Not only because hes getting to apply creative solutions in a methodical way, but because the fruits of his labor are so tangible. I always come back to the people, he said. The technology to me is the easy partits the fun part because we get to play with all the shiny toysbut its the people that motivate me. Thats why I love higher ed, because you know that youre doing it for a purpose. When you see the content thats being provided, the connectivityespecially now with hybrid spacesits much more than just turning on a projector so they can present something. You know that youre actually impacting someones future, and that I like.

Read the original here:
How USC's Joe Way Anticipated the HyFlex Campus Revolution - AV Network

Born & Raised Hospitality, the Phoenix-based restaurateurs behind Clever Koi, Fellow Osteria & Pizzeria, and Across the Pond, announced their latest creation coming later this fall to SkySong in Scottsdale. Named Broth & Bao, this innovative counter-service, build-your-own ramen and bao restaurant is now under construction right next door to Fellow at 1455 N. Scottsdale Rd., #101. Housed inside a soaring 2,500 sq. ft. space seating approximately 50, Broth & Bao will be open daily from 10:45 am to 9 pm. Plus, enjoy convenient online ordering, as well as the full food & drink menus available to-go, including craft cocktails.

Stepping inside the bright, lively space, guests will be greeted by a wavy wooden ceiling installation that extends from the counter right out to the door, and changes and shifts as you walk into the space until the stylized planks resemble giant ramen noodles. The walls will be equally eye-catching thanks to a series of vibrant yellow geometric patterns, while both the indoor and outdoor dining rooms are decked with warm woods, white metallics and see-through concrete breeze block, and feature a mix of banquettes and tabletop seating with plenty of room for social distancing.

The real star at Broth & Bao is the gleaming service counter and prep kitchen brimming with sizzling skillets and fiery stovetops, where guests can watch the chefs whip up each ramen bowl to order. Choose between three different noodles (handmade traditional ramen, vegan & gluten free ramen and udon), then pick your tare (a sauce made with pork or vegan cashew nuts), pick your stock (tonkotsu, a slow roasted pork stock; tori paitan, a creamy chicken stock; or an earthy veggie stock). Then top your ramen with your choice of hot proteins such as braised pork belly, steak, chicken, grilled tofu; cold veggies such as watermelon radish and house-made kimchi; and supplements such as scallion oil and fried shallots.

But be sure to save room to the full selection of steamed bao buns (pork belly, hot chicken, kimchi cauliflower), and crave-worthy sides such as togarashi fries with Szechuan peppercorn, or garlic and kimchi cheese fries. Broth & Bao also tempts with an extensive selection of craft beers and wines in cans, plus craft cocktails including several favorites from Clever Koi. Even tastier, everything at Broth & Bao is served in to-go packages, so if you cant finish your ramen, just grab a lid.

Although we started planning Broth & Bao long before the COVID crisis, its perfect for these socially distanced times says co-owner, Joshua James. Everything on the menu travels well and its comfort food for the soul. Its great for both socially distanced dine-in, as well as grabbing it to eat at home.

Visit link:
Broth & Bao coming to SkySong in Scottsdale this fall - AZ Big Media

Construction has been progressing steadily at555 West 38th Street, a 570-foot-tall residential skyscraper in Hudson Yards.Designed byPelli Clarke Pelli Architectsand developed byRockrosewithSLCE as the architect of record, the reinforced concrete structure will rise 52 floors and contain 598 rental units. The property is located along Eleventh Avenue between West 38th Street and West 39th Street, directly across from the Jacob K. Javits Center.

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

Recent photos show the superstructure gaining prominence as the curtain wall installation progresses. The reflective glass exterior now clads the entire multi-story podium as well as several floors above. The faade incorporates dark blue vertical and horizontal bands that overlay the grid of floor-to-ceiling glass and operable windows, most notably on the southern elevation and the western face on the northern half of the building. As illustrated in the main rendering, the outline of the subtly sloped massing of the split-tower design is becoming apparent and will be further accentuated as vertical construction progresses. At the current pace of work, it wont be long before the superstructure surpasses the first and only setback, which is located around the midpoint on the northern side of the skyscraper. From there, work should speed up with the reduction in the size of the floor plates.

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

555 West 38th Street. Photo by Michael Young

555 West 38th Streets prominent height and relatively isolated position near the waterfront will make the structure stand out in the skyline from across the Hudson River and will provide residents with panoramic views.The site is a short walk from the supertall skyscrapers of Relateds first phase of Hudson Yards. Pellis building will soon be joined by a number of structures planned to rise from the empty and or underdeveloped parcels in the surrounding area.

YIMBY last reported that 555 West 38th Street is expected to be finished in the fall of 2022.

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Faade Installation Making Headway on Pelli Clarke Pelli's 555 West 38th Street in Hudson Yards - New York YIMBY