TAD Associates (TAD) is a leading AV consultancy with headquarters in New York and London. With an ever-expanding list of services, TAD empowers businesses to create digital experiences that connect, support and inspire people through interweaving technology, architecture and design. Intending to transform its own offices into a space to tell stories and a platform for experimentation, TAD recently moved its New York headquarters to a new site near Times Square. The team at TAD envisaged the new office as “The Stage”; an empty table on which different uses can take form and ideas can be trialled. RAIL by KSCAPE, an all-in-one architectural lighting and audio solution from Italian professional loudspeaker brand, K-array, proved to be a pivotal element in bringing this vision to life.
The team at TAD worked with architects, Model Practice, to imagine a high-performing yet flexible space. “Our ambition was to have an office that worked for us and the things we want to do in a flexible and coherent manner,” recalls Daniel Pittman, TAD Partner. “This is the brief we shared with Model Practice, who worked closely with us to design this concept.” The new TAD workspace is not a typical office, but rather a research lab for prototyping and a space to hold events. “We thought about the space like a stage,” explains Christopher Lee, Partner at Model Practice. “Modular furniture, fittings and other elements can be deployed and the space can be divided to serve different purposes. Introducing a ceiling grid of KSCAPE RAIL elements allowed us to bring lighting and audio into play whilst reducing visible systems and maintaining the utilitarian aesthetic.”
With a sleek form factor, tunable lighting and high-performance audio, RAIL represented an easy-to-incorporate solution that fulfilled TAD’s requirements in a single device. TAD can benefit from RAIL’s lighting control, colour temperature and circadian syncing features to create unique environments and different zones that serve multiple purposes. Working closely with the team at K-array, TAD also had emergency lighting built into the RAIL fixtures, providing a complete corporate lighting solution without the need for additional ceiling fixtures and fittings.
“With RAIL, all you see is the light fixture, so this technology met our architectural requirements,” says Tom Sauter, Systems Engineer and AV system designer at TAD. “Furthermore, the lighting control through Casambi is easy to use and allows us to define different zones physically and visually.”
Over 100 units of 1.2 metre-long RAIL devices were installed in the custom ceiling grid system at TAD, both with and without integrated loudspeakers. The TAD workspace is an open environment, with desks around the edge and an empty stage in the centre for experimentation. The ceiling grid is pivotal to this, encompassing not only lighting and audio from RAIL but also data reels, power supplies and room-dividing curtains, allowing the TAD team to bring utility to any point on the floor and construct or deconstruct ever-changing spaces. Sound and light from RAIL remain a constant. 24 Rumble-KU44X subwoofers along with two eight-channel and one four-channel K-array Kommander amplifiers were deployed to complete the sound system. “We wanted to do the sound properly and ensure we could cater for all kinds of events, so we worked with K-array to select subwoofers that would provide good coverage for each of the zones,” continues Sauter. “The smaller package of their Rumble subwoofers gave us flexibility in placement and each unit was painted to match the ceiling so the units remain discreet.”
Whilst the open workspace at TAD is largely flexible, three permanent zones exist: a studio workspace for employees, a gallery for showcasing the work of TAD and its clients, and the lab space for experimentation and R&D. The lighting control through Casambi enables TAD to redefine the zones as required, whether switching to brand colours for visiting client demos or syncing the lighting with outdoor conditions to provide optimal working conditions that promote employee wellbeing. Two permanent conference rooms also enjoy lighting and audio through fully integrated RAIL devices, eliminating the need for adding ceiling loudspeakers and providing a coherent user experience across the entire TAD premises.
Ease of control has proved to be a key benefit for the TAD team in their experience of KSCAPE RAIL. “With Casambi, users can set up zones for events or simply control the day-to-day performance of the lighting,” continues Sauter. “We’ve integrated the RAIL and Casambi controls into our internal app here at TAD as well as making the technology accessible from an internal touchscreen and self-powered light switches at the points of entry, ensuring everyone can easily enjoy the functions of the space.” The team at TAD are already investigating the development of a RAIL integration with Show Control software. This will enable RAIL lighting to respond to digital signage and sensors in the space, further pushing the boundaries of architectural lighting thanks to KSCAPE’s open and innovative technology and bringing the benefits of a theatrical lighting system to the space without the usual physical wiring requirements.
Besides the flexibility and functionality of RAIL, the team at TAD also testify to the great look and aesthetic that RAIL has brought to the space. Aside from the endless lighting possibilities, the audio quality, even when pushed to high volumes, has been a source of positive remarks throughout the office.
“It’s been an exciting project,” confirms Pittman. “The creation of the utility grid has given us the complete flexibility we need, whilst the alignment with K-array throughout the journey has been excellent. The result is a space that is comfortable and fit for both every day and more complex use. There’s a lot of thought that goes into making a space functional yet simple, and with the right technology, this has been achieved.”