ABiz Presents

INDesign 2015: A Sound Solution

by Wynce Nolley

GOLD

ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN SOUND AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS CHASE MARSHALL ARCHITECTS CONTRACTOR: J.B. MOUTON

The new Sound and Communication Systems building showcases more than just its products.

When Sound & Communication Systems decided to convert a former air conditioning distributor building on Banks Street into its new corporate headquarters and showroom, it asked Chase Marshall Architects for a total renovation of the facility worthy of the 21st century.

Chase Marshall took the abandoned, pre-engineered metal building that had been standing for more than 50 years and stripped it down to its structure before adding several green energy modifications that essentially turned the whole facility into a functioning showroom for SCSI and its products.

The building now has all LED lighting and a building envelope designed to cut down on energy consumption, including a new air conditioning system with the latest energy efficient technology.

“What went into the design was to try and take an existing company that has been on Cajundome Boulevard for 40 years and help them come up with a new image for themselves to project out to clients for

the 21st century,” says Jay Chase of Chase Marshall Architects.

One of the building’s sizable updates is a wide presentation room that features a “technology wall” that houses an 80-foot LCD monitor mounted behind glass that can immerse its audience in presentations, brainstorming sessions or to show off new technology to SCSI clients.

“Their whole building is basically an entire showroom of their capabilities,” says Chase. “So all of their fire alarm equipment, their security cameras, their intercom systems, everything that they sell to the general public is in the building and being used by themselves.”

The exterior may still resemble a traditional pre-engineered metal building, but it incorporates several green features, including screened canopies that keep heat gain from getting into the building along with a variety of landscaping techniques that complement some of the building’s more sustainable characteristics.