AVIAs 2015: The Industry’s Awards
AVIAs 2015: The Industry’s Awards Winners.
10 November 2015
Everyone brought their A Game. We’re so proud of these awards. Not because of a big gala dinner and a red carpet, but because they’ve become part of the region’s pro AV landscape, and because they mean something – to win an AVIA is something genuinely significant.
Which is why the finalists really did have to bring their A Games. Each and every short-listed submission was truly outstanding and worthy of being showcased.
The 2015 AVIAs were presented at the end of Day One of the Integrate expo in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in August. The awards follow the InfoComm International reception, and saw our biggest turn out yet – and we thank InfoComm and to this year’s sponsor Samsung.
AV IN EDUCATION $500K+
Winner: Umow Lai
Project: Jeffery Smart Building, University of SA
The is Umow Lai’s first AVIA, richly deserved for its work on the Jeffery Smart Building at the University of South Australia. Whether it’s the collaborative space, the digital signage, the automated room booking or the outdoor cinema, there’s a 100% adoption rate of the technology provided. The judges considered this ground-breaking project a positive investment that has produced an overwhelmingly positive outcome. The project has been built from the ground up to incorporate innovations in both the architectural and academic environment through the uses of a range of AV technologies in both the teaching spaces and the entire student connection and interaction with the building. The judges were not surprised to learn that the success of this project is leading to the rollout of similar approaches in the refurb of other buildings and future projects.
AV IN EDUCATION SUB $500K
Winner: InDesign Technologies
Project: University of the Sunshine Coast’s Learning & Teaching Hub
InDesign Technologies took out this award for its work on the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Learning and Teaching Hub – the Tiered Teaching Space. The new space affords the academic the freedom to move around the room and collaborate with students. Students sit in workgroups of five to six rather than individually. Each desk is a fully-equipped technology hub, allowing students to collaborate with the group, sharing content from either the fixed PC, or their own mobile devices, onto their local monitor. Students can also share their content with the rest of the class on the two Full HD projectors, which have been designed to simultaneously show content from the lectern, or from any of the 75 students. The judges consider this project to be a step into the future of learning as it is having a profound impact on the technical, academic and student practices at USC. The judges commend the creation of both a practical and enjoyable space to undertake the processes of blended collaborative learning.
COMMERCIAL OR GOVERNMENT
Winner: Parity Technology Consulting
Project: Library at The Dock
The highly coveted Commercial or Government category was taken out by AVIA debutante, Parity Technology Consulting, for its work on Library at The Dock for Melbourne City Council. Much more than a place to borrow books, the Docklands library design encompasses all aspect of AV, including a 120-seat 7.1 surround sound performance space, Dante-connected recording studio, interactive floor projection system, large LCD touchscreen, digital signage, interactive touchtables, meeting rooms with video conferencing, LED video wall, satellite TV-over-IP and more. Working closely with the client and the integrator, Pro AV, Parity designed the AV of a library that’s the envy of the world. The judging panel saw this project as representing everything that good AV is about.
AV IN AN EXHIBITION OR DISPLAY
Winner: The Museum of NZ Te Papa Tongarewa
Project: Gallipoli: Scale Of Our War Exhibition
The Museum of NZ Te Papa Tongarewa won this award for the exhibition Gallipoli: Scale Of Our War. The exhibition packs a full bag of AV tricks for a modern museum exhibit. Each of the 11 spaces has surround-sound immersive audio playback. There are 97 channels of audio played back from 16 Tascam 7.1 surround sound amplifier/receivers, with the video content playing back through Brightsign media players. A technical standout is the innovative use of the Robe MiniMe moving head video projection system. You can read all about the job elsewhere this issue in our full feature story.
AV IN PRODUCTION
Winner: 32 Hundred Lighting
Project: Paint the Town & Harbour Bridge
32 Hundred Lighting took out this award for Paint the Town & Harbour Bridge lighting at Vivid Sydney. 32 Hundred employed its own proprietary software and hardware, including GPS technology developed to coordinate moving ferries and boats to interactively light 14 city buildings and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The spectacular Vivid Festival installation included an on-site touchscreen to enable the public to interact with these displays. The judges were impressed with the immense scale of the projects across vast areas of the Sydney harbour precinct covered by a complex network of predominantly wireless lighting control to achieve spectacular and innovative live and interactive applications that blend coloured lightscapes and audience engagement.
JUDGES’ COMMENDATION: PROJECT EXCELLENCE
Winner: Rutledge AV
Project: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
The commendation for Project Excellence was presented to Rutledge AV for its work on the digital vision upgrade to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The judges were impressed with the management and engineering expertise required to successfully bring off a project of such scale and difficulty in an operating venue.
JUDGES’ COMMENDATION: INNOVATION IN AV
Winner: Gilfillan Soundwork and Steensen Varming
Project: Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial
Receiving the commendation for Innovation in AV was Gilfillan Soundwork and Steensen Varming, for their innovative approach to the Roll of Honour lighting and sound system at the Australian War Memorial. The judging panel was impressed by the detailed and creative approach to resolving what to most of us appears to be an intractable problem.
KEEPING THE FAITH
The Audio Visual Industry Awards program was established in 2010 by AV Asia Pacific with the intent of promoting excellence and innovation in this region’s professional AV sector. The awards are chosen by an independent panel of expert judges, with the selection process free of commercial interference. The focus is not so much on the products themselves, but rather on the application of AV. Five years on from its inception and the AVIAs continue to gain respect and momentum, with each year yielding an impressive pool of entries showcasing outstanding work in the industry.
It is with much gratitude that we acknowledge the hard work of the AVIAs judging panel — Terry Coe and Scott Doyle representing the AETM, Matthew Loupis and Paul van der Ent representing InfoComm International, Wally Eastland and Marcus Pugh representing ALIA, and the non-voting chairman of the panel, Andy Ciddor. The expertise and experience of these gentlemen is what makes an AVIA more than just a pat on the back, and we thank them for taking their roles so very seriously.
It wouldn’t be an AVIAs without the odd surprise and this year didn’t disappoint. And it does demonstrate that you don’t need to be responsible for the biggest AV job in the country but if you have solved a curly problem with real ingenuity then you owe it to yourself and the industry to get involved. Stay tuned for news on the 2016 AVIAs and how to be a part of it.
RESPONSES