The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.
A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design are joined by Robert Gilligan, Senior Technology Advisor at Amplified Lifestyles to discuss his background in audio-visual technology; advancements in smart home technology; home audio-visual system management; the role of audio-visual engineers in architecture projects; home security systems; the future of audio-visual technology; and more.
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HIGHLIGHTS & TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Early career in audio-visual technology.
(17:10) Technological advancements in houses.
Mobile devices changed our industry for the better. Before that, you had to be a billionaire to afford [home AV] technologies because it was so custom. We used architectural floor plans [as a basis] for the user interfaces. So, it had great connectivity because these clients were familiar with their house plans during construction. The iPad is what changed the [home AV industry]. A company called Savant came to market and they just said, “We're not going to do a custom touch screen. You will use the iPad to control your [home AV] system.” And that was a fundamental shift in our industry.” (20:29)
(25:00) Home technology management system now.
It's about trying to empower our clients not to be beholden to the technology or the AV integrator. That's a lot of the frustration the early adopters had. They lost control of their home’s brain, the neural network of their home. Once we remotely located all these devices in a system closet 400ft away from your primary suite and the television doesn't work, you will throw that remote out the window. It's an absolute failure from us. (32:44)
(36:40) Consider the main user of the AV system.
We now realize that clients’ needs develop over the life cycle of the build. These builds take a long time to complete. During the build, some clients have kids; their parents move in with them; they leave their companies; and start new companies from their homes. Covid completely changed how we work and what we do. Post-Covid, almost every single project has a dedicated viewing room. We're doing more home theatre projects now than I probably ever have. (39:55)
(41:35) When to bring AV engineers on board architecture projects.
(49:43) Futureproofing Smart Home technology.
To futureproof your house, make sure that there’s an empty, flexible conduit between wherever the brain of the system is and the television locations, primary office, and Wi-Fi access point locations. If there are crawl spaces or attic spaces, planning for changing wiring and technology needs over time doesn't cost much. It's maybe a two-hour conversation at some point during the design phase to make sure that okay, “15 years from now if I want to change something, how am I going to do it?” A little bit of previous realization and planning makes that easy. (55:14)
(59:51) Security systems in homes.
(01:07:56) Wellness Technology.
(01:14:36) Most modern houses are smart homes.
(01:20:30) Future of home Audio Visual technology.
The future [of home AV technology] is AI-based assistance. We're going to be moving very quickly to that. We could have this conversation in five years, and the likelihood of us talking about apps, buttons on the wall, or other stuff [is unlikely]. There's a company called Josh AI and they have been trying to create a more conversational voice automation system with better security. So, it’s not just based in the cloud and selling your data for advertising. [The AI technology] is getting good. I think that's where [home AV technology] is headed. (01:21:04)
(01:28:08) Digital art and 3D Visualisation.
