Ceitronics is the systems integrator for one of the largest and most complex audio-video projects in the country—the $5 million audio-video upgrade of San Francisco City Hall. The fast track project, which began in January, 1998, is scheduled to be completed in December of this year.

“Ceitronics is one of a handful of system integrators within the United States that can do a project of this level of complexity in a space of this size with this kind of turnaround,” said Ceitronics project manager Jim Thielemann.

The City Hall audio-video integration is part of a $293 million seismic upgrade and other improvements to the 83-year-old national historic landmark, considered by many preservationists to be the most significant interior public space in the country. The 500,000 square foot granite and marble monument covers two city blocks. It was damaged significantly in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, when the force of the quake twisted the building’s 90,000-ton dome like a cap on a bottle, and cracked the walls and roof substantially.

The integration, designed by audio-video consultant Ken Fause of Smith, Fause, & McDonald of San Francisco, includes a complex weaving of audio, video and communication technologies within the rigid architectural confines of a historic building.

The new audio-video systems provide many benefits to the public, as well as to elected officials, commission members, and city employees. For the first time, any public meeting, such as one held by the Planning Commission, can be broadcast to an at-home audience from any one of five designated meeting rooms. New video and audio technology installed in each of the rooms allows the public to use modern presentation technologies, such as Power Point and other computer generated materials when making a presentation to committee members or Supervisors.

The new technology also streamlines meeting flow, allowing meeting participants to communicate in a more orderly and clearer fashion. The Chairman or President of the Board can now track a meeting participant’s request to speak from his or her touch screen, instead of responding to a raised hand. Innovative technology will automatically notify all Supervisors and commission members when a meeting is being scheduled, insuring a higher attendance level. Staff efficiency will be improved by the computerized procedures and simplified meeting notifications. The installed fiber optic infrastructure provides for future upgrade potential as technology changes through the 21st century.

“Ceitronics has to integrate 21st century audio-visual systems within the historic building with zero architectural impact,” Thielemann said. “Our work needs to be invisible upon completion. None of the numerous runs of conduit can be placed on the interior walls because of restrictions regarding the ornate marble, thus concealed conduits were required. Also, traditional projection systems would detract from the beauty of the Honduran oak paneling, thus alternative solutions were sought for video presentation.”

Space and cooling limitations, as well as the historical character of the building, dictated that the majority of the audio-visual equipment be placed in the basement.

The basement now contains the head end computer control center, two broadcast studios, and routers for all the video, audio systems, MATV, and processors. This project is challenged by the very limited amount of conduit between the meeting rooms and the basement.

“Smith, Fause, & McDonald’s solution,” was to install networks on fiber as the transportation medium for all signal types.” Thielemann added. Video is sent directly from cameras over fiber via transceivers to the basement. The video signals are then sent to a Pesa Matrix switcher for distribution. This allowsthe broadcast studio to originate a broadcast from any one of five meeting rooms. Video broadcast signals are sent back up to the rooms via fiber for display on touch panels or on TVs. For the first time, all public meetings can be broadcast to the general public as well as throughout City Hall offices.

Audio is pre-amplified, digitized, multiplexed, processed by Peavey Media Matrix equipment, routed and distributed by the routing switcher, re-multiplexed and sent back to the room, converted back into analog, and amplified for distribution in the room.

This lengthy audio signal “chain” required custom software for QSC’s Rave product, called Rapid Rave. The Rave system reduces signal delay and full loop transmission time in a fashion that allows the Media Matrix system ample processing time. The unique pairing of QSC Rapid Rave and Peavey Media Matrix is the first marriage of these technologies.

The City of San Francisco’s unique governmental needs require a remote control system that will store a lot of information. For instance, more than 40 governmental committees and commissions will meet in City Hall on a regular basis. These committees can meet in any of the five rooms involved in the renovation. Each committee has different members and different rules of order. The remote control system needs to know basic information about each committee and its members in order for the meeting to be conducted properly. This is accomplished by storing all the required information in a database on a server located in the basement.

The database was custom designed by Crestron, a New Jersey based designer and manufacturer of remote control and automation systems.

The database keeps track of all commission or committee meetings. When a clerk logs in on a touch panel, the remote control system is told what meeting will be conducted. The system then requests the needed information from the server. The system then notifies members when a meeting is to take place. The message is generated and then sent to a Supervisor or committee member through personalized e-mail, or through a voice message, a paging beeper or a cell phone call.

A reminder is also sent over the City Hall TV system—it flashes up on strategically located television screens. Confirmation and message acknowledgment are sent by e-mail, the telephone or through the custom designed touch panel workstation. The responses of the members are tracked by the database, and reported back to the clerk.

The remote control system panels are customized to fit aesthetically in the dais. These touch panels, which are provided to all meeting participants, were modified to provide several features which include video playback, audio reinforcement, integrated microphones and the “usual” touch screen button control functions.

The touch panel can be adjusted for video and still images or to watch the rebroadcast of the meetings. Supervisors can vote, signal the sergeant at arms, call their staff, communicate with the clerk, select what they want to look at, or monitor the broadcast system—all from their touch panel.

“This project has a lot of challenges,” said Thielemann. “The tight schedule, considering the size of the project, is probably the biggest one. Coordinating with all the manufacturers, other contractors and the subs is another. Then there are all the technical challenges of the system itself, plus the unique applications. It’s very complex.”

Ceitronics has also been the systems integrator on a number of other public buildings in the Bay Area, including City of Oakland Council Chambers, City of Alameda Council Chambers, Hayward City Hall (designer as well as systems integrator), City of Fremont Council Chambers, the Sacramento County Board Hearing Room, and the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House.

Illustrations
1. Ceitronics Audio-Video Systems Integration of San Francisco City Hall

Other Features
1. New Icons Emphasize Ceitronics' Range of Services
2. Newly awarded Ceitronics Projects
3. San Francisco City Hall Audio-Video Features
4. State-of-the-Art Technical Integration Brings Public Benefits
5. Crestron Remote Control Touch Panels