Founded in 1843, UniVersa Insurance is Germany’s oldest private insurance provider. For generations, members have benefitted from the company’s cutting-edge services and trusted UniVersa Insurance with their medical, pension, life, automobile, liability, and supplemental health insurance needs.
In honour of its 175th anniversary, UniVersa Insurance sought to modernise the executive floor of its corporate headquarters in Nuremburg, Germany.
This project included a complete remodel of all private offices, as well as executive meeting rooms, and other common areas located on that floor.
- Facility Scope: The dedicated executive area of UniVersa Insurance’s headquarters includes three reconfigurable meeting rooms, an outdoor balcony, private offices, and an executive dining area. This floor had not been remodeled for many years, and the outdated AV equipment and furnishings did not support the executives at the necessary level.
- Integrator: Franken Lehrmittel Medientechnik
- Consultant: Bernd Schindler, Ingenieurbüro Schindler
- Biamp Product Family: Tesira
- Objectives: Upgrade the existing AV system on the executive floor as part of a larger remodeling project, to provide greater flexibility to the modular meeting rooms and offer a more contemporary technology experience.
- Solution: Biamp’s Tesira platform offered all the capabilities UniVersa Insurance was seeking for its remodeled executive floor. Tesira offers the unique ability to transport both audio and video signals across a single network, while delivering superior audio and video bandwidth management.
- Outcome: Tesira provides considerable flexibility, allowing multiple possible configurations of the executive meeting rooms and supporting several different conferencing functions. In addition, Tesira devices can be concealed within the in-room furniture, providing all of the power and functionality without impacting the modern aesthetics of the new design.
THE CHALLENGE
The customer sought to conduct a complete remodel of the three executive meeting rooms at UniVersa Insurance’s corporate headquarters, eliminating the old fashioned wood paneling and dated equipment in favour of a sleek, modern design. A significant element of this remodel involved renewing the aging AV technologies. Because these rooms can be subdivided and reconfigured to accommodate different types of meetings and activities, flexibility was a key requirement of this installation. With movable furniture that can be combined or removed, each room can accommodate multiple layouts. Room acoustics were another important consideration due to the frequent conference calls that would be taking place in these spaces.
THE SOLUTION
The Tesira solution was selected by Ingenieurburo Schindler and installed by Franken Lehrmittel Medientechnik,
one of the first integrators in Germany to use Biamp products. This solution from Biamp provides unmatched flexibility, as well as its ability to support both audio and video on the same network.
Each of the three meeting rooms on the executive floor includes an adjustable-height touch interface with a webcam mounted on top, with video feeding back into the AV system. The rooms also include several tables that can be combined or used separately, depending on the number of people in a meeting and the type of activity that will be taking place. The tables feature built-in HDMI connections, and are designed to conceal the room’s technology. To accommodate movement of the tables, all devices can be unplugged from the floor and reconnected to other connection points throughout the room.
Tesira was selected to provide the most modern signal management technology available, providing a unique, unified platform
for audio, video, and control with Biamp’s Tesira. A TesiraLUXTM encoder and a TesiraLUX decoder are installed in each of the rooms; the encoder concealed in the room’s adjustable podium houses a gooseneck microphone, as well as the decoder connected to the in-room projector mounted in the ceiling. There are two cables for each TesiraLUX unit, connecting the video source, microphones, and other necessary devices. The Tesira platform’s built-in acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) offers enhanced capabilities for distinguishing between human speech and other room noise. The three rooms also include a collaboration system from Wolfvision Cynap, which serves as a BYOD solution for streaming presentation content and can also record the content being presented.
Quality acoustics were a top priority for this installation, so each room is decorated with specially-designed wall panels and
floor coverings that contribute to an enhanced room sound without conflicting with the overall décor. For optimal acoustics and aesthetics, the loudspeakers in the room are installed on the back of customized ceiling tiles. Other loudspeakers at the front of each room are managed by a third-party media device. Finally, each room features multiple wireless microphones, a Tesira amplifier, and a third-party device capable of supporting software-based video conferences.
In addition to the remodeled meeting rooms, the executive floor includes a newly redesigned common area that can be used
as an executive lunch room and accommodate catered dinner meetings. To ensure privacy and encourage relaxation during meal times and breaks, there are no cameras integrated into this portion of the floor’s AV solution. This space also includes an adjacent outdoor balcony equipped with loudspeakers for background music.
EQUIPMENT LIST
Tesira AMP-8175R
(1) TesiraFORTÉ AVB VI
(6) TesiraLUX IDH-1
(4) TesiraLUX OH-1
CONCLUSION
UniVersa Insurance sought to modernize and upgrade its executive floor to better suit the leadership team’s
conferencing expectations. The Tesira platform provides the necessary AV functionality and support and is highly scalable to accommodate future remodeling projects, all without compromising the facility’s aesthetics.
UniVersa Insurance with the option to extend the enhanced AV capabilities and contemporary design to other floors.
