Industry Recognition

The Custom Electronic Design Installation Association (CEDIA) Electronic Lifestyles® Awards honor excellence on technical and design/aesthetic aspects of technology installation projects in the residential electronic systems industry. Project categories include Best Home Theater, Best Media Room, Best Integrated Home, Best Special Project, Best Hidden Installation and Best Dressed System. Winners are selected by two panels of judges, a technical team made up of five CEDIA residential electronic systems contractor members, and a design team comprised of members from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).

The HTA Update will feature an award winner to highlight one of the projects in each issue. Each member involved in these projects--the architect, builder, interior designer, and electronic systems contractor (ESC)--played an integral part to the finished product. As with any industry, developing partnerships is a clear way to expand your business by being able to offer more options to clients.  

Large Home Theater Level V Silver Technical Design

Residential Electronic Systems Contractor:

Image Tech Design Inc.

Worchester, MA 

www.imagetechdesign.com

Builder:

E.W. Tarca Construction

Hopkinton, MA

Interior Designer:

Lisa Strain

Hopkinton, MA

Feature Essay:

This project began as a “spec house” for a builder who understood that investing in a home theater would pay off. He contacted Image Tech Design, Inc. to build the theater in a sunken room that gets “bigger” as visitors step down to the front row of seats. A wrought iron rail with up-lighting adds depth and richness, while the brilliant sparkle of the fiber optic ceiling adds a true wow factor. Additionally, the room is “painted” with Lutron HomeWorks controlled down-lighting, step lights, task lights and even custom lighted stained glass designed into the columns.

The video is dazzling with a 9-inch Crystal View CRT that projects on a Stewart Studio Tech 1.3 screen. A granite-topped coffee table “hides” the projector and serves as a handy spot for remotes, drinks and popcorn. Image Tech Design, Inc. programmed a Crestron 12-inch touchscreen to control the electronics that are housed in a Middle Atlantic rack in a utility space outside of the room.

Snell speakers are hidden in the room with left, center, and right speakers across the front, two subwoofers in the front and two powered subs in the back for bone-chilling bass. Visitors to this spec home are instantly impressed with the décor, as well as film-like display and audio quality that few people ever see or hear.

Equipment from the following manufacturers was used in this project: Crestron, Faroudja, Crystal View, Stewart Filmscreen, Lexicon, Marantz, Motorola, Snell, and Middle Atlantic.

TIME AND EXPERTISE:

Client Interviews: 8

Electronic Design and Engineering: 16

Proposal and System Documentation Preparation: 15

Project Management: 48

Pre-wire/Rough-in: 24

Trim-out: 16

Shop Time for Racking and Testing:

Programming: 16

Final Installation and Calibration: 68

Client Instruction: 8

Interior Design and/or Architecture by your Company: 16

Interior Design and/or Architecture by Others: 8

Project Management by Others:

Total Hours to Complete: 243

 

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