Specifications

Table Of Contents

Polycom, Inc. A–1

Room Design and Layout

Reprinted from the Basics of Audio and Visual Systems Design: Revised Edition,

Chapter 12, “Videoconferencing” written by Scott Sharer, CTS, and Jim Smith, CVE,

www.infocomm.org

For clarity of discussion, we have divided this section into the following

sub-sections:

• Room construction, including wall construction, windows and window

treatments, ceilings and HVAC;

• Interior design and finishes;

• Furniture design, including placement and layout;

• Room acoustics and acoustic treatment; and

• Room lighting.

The initial layout and construction of the space affects all the elements that are

discussed in other sections of this book [Basics of Audio and Visual Systems

Design], including acoustic characteristics and performance, general and

ambient light control, and overall comfort.

Room Requirements

We begin with general room requirements. The total floor space required for

VC is much greater than we have become used to for general local presentation

and meeting. In architectural terms it is not uncommon to find a rule-of-thumb

applied that allows for up to 15 square feet of floor space per participant in a

traditional presentation or meeting room. If there is a front-of-room presenter

position at a podium, and if there is some use of in-room technology

(projection devices, whiteboards, etc.), then this figure may increase to as

much as 20 square feet of floor space per participant, but rarely any more than

that.

It is here that we have our first conflict. In videoconferencing we have to

consider not only the issues related to local viewing and hearing but also the

issues of being seen and heard by people at the far-end of the connection. This