A real AV systems design is the engineering set that tells the GC, the permit office and the install crew exactly what goes where and how it connects. We produce it as a standalone deliverable or as part of the build.
Audio visual system design is the engineering work that turns an intended outcome into a buildable AV plan.
AV design should include the schematics of what the space needs, the line diagram of every connection, the low-voltage, pathways, and power the technology requires. It's the difference between a system that was engineered and one that was assembled from a parts list and hoped into place.
We offer AV system design services at two levels, and you can buy either on its own or as part of a build. The lighter level is a design of parts, the list you need with a clear understanding of how it fits together. The full level is the complete engineering set, the blueprint the entire project references. We can hand that to your GC, your permit office and your installer, whether or not we're the ones installing.
Tell us where the project stands. We'll scope the right level of design and produce the document your build runs on.
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Each one is what makes a design buildable instead of a guess.
Without a line diagram, the install is improvised and impossible to troubleshoot later.
Two levels
Not every project needs a full engineering set. We offer the level that fits the job.
The parts list you need to make the system work, with a clear understanding of how those parts connect and behave together. It's the lower-cost option when a project needs direction on the right equipment but not a full construction-grade document set.
The complete blueprint includes architectural schematics of what the venue needs and how it installs, the full line diagram of every connection, and the low-voltage needs, pathways, power requirements and dedicated power for the technology.
On larger jobs this routinely runs 12 to 14 pages - the engineering document for your entire technology stack.
What it drives
The drawings aren't a deliverable that sits in a drawer. Everything downstream references them.
A complete engineering set is the single source of truth the rest of the project is coordinated around. It drives the equipment list and ordering, the cable runs and pathway recommendations handed to the GC, the network architecture (IP addressing, VLANs, port configuration), the control-system programming logic and the display layouts and mounting locations.
On new construction, the same drawings feed the GC's permit submission, so the permit office reviews the technology alongside the building. System design is one part of our commercial AV practice, and it usually starts with AV consulting.
That's why a real design matters. Because when every trade is working from the same documented plan, the build goes clean. When they're guessing, you get change orders and an AV design system that doesn't quite match what anyone pictured.
Why not an architect
Architects design how a building looks and meets code. The technology stack is a different knowledge base.
Think of the entire technology setup like kitchen equipment. An architect knows a feed and a stove go in a spot, but specifying the right equipment and engineering its real requirements isn't their expertise, and they'd say so.
AV is the same: the IP systems, the low-voltage that isn't telecom and the power and pathways a real system needs sit outside the architectural plan set, unless someone who knows the technology models them in.
That's the gap audio video system design closes. We model the technology requirements the way a kitchen consultant models the kitchen. We send them back to the architect for the plan set so the building is actually engineered for what it's meant to run.
Planning or building
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How it runs
Design happens early, moves fast and feeds three things at once: your review, the permit and the build.
Engineering and design begin shortly after a project is signed, typically two to three weeks of focused work. The drawings then feed three streams: your review and approval cycle, the GC's permit submission on new construction and the in-shop build where the rack is assembled and proven against the documented design.
Because the design is platform-agnostic, we spec the stack that fits the business outcome rather than steering you toward the one system we happen to prefer. The result is a complete design package that any qualified installer could build from, and that you own.
AV system design is the engineering that turns an intended outcome into a buildable plan. We offer it at two levels. A design of parts is the equipment list with a clear understanding of how everything connects, a lower-cost option for projects that need direction but not full documentation. The full engineering set is the complete blueprint: architectural schematics, the full line diagram of every connection, and the low-voltage, pathways, power, and dedicated-power requirements. On larger jobs that routinely runs 12 to 14 pages. That set drives the equipment ordering, the GC's cable runs and pathways, the network architecture, the control programming and the display layouts.
Yes. Both levels of design are available as standalone services, separate from any build. We produce it, hand it to your GC and your chosen installer. You own the documentation. Plenty of projects need the engineering done before an installer is even selected, especially on new construction where the technology requirements have to be in the plan set to get a clean permit and an accurate GC bid. Whether we install it or not, the design is built to be buildable by any qualified integrator.
A building's architecture and its technology are designed on separate sets of plans. The useful analogy is kitchen equipment: an architect knows a feed and a stove go in a certain spot, but specifying the right equipment and engineering its requirements is a specialist's job. AV is the same - the IP systems, low-voltage that isn't telecom, and the power and pathways a real system needs sit outside the standard plan set. AV system design closes that gap by modeling the technology requirements and sending them back to the architect, so the building is engineered for what it's meant to run.
As early as possible, ideally at the first floor plan on new construction. The engineering set has to exist before the GC can submit a clean permit or give an accurate bid, because the technology requirements and all have to be in the plans. Engineering and design typically take two to three weeks of focused work once a project is signed, and the drawings then feed your review, the permit submission, and the build at the same time. Getting the design done early is what prevents the change orders that come from building around AV that was never planned in.
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Just do it. Spend the money. It’s well worth it. It’s not worth your time, hassle, energy, and stress of trying to make it look right and do it right when there’s somebody who has been doing it for years and has perfected the craft.
Just do it. Spend the money. It’s well worth it. It’s not worth your time, hassle, energy, and stress of trying to make it look right and do it right when there’s somebody who has been doing it for years and has perfected the craft.
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