Boston University School of Law

Acentech provided acoustics, audiovisual and telecommunications consulting services for the renovation and 100K sf addition to Boston University’s iconic, ‘Brutalist’ Law School tower, designed by Josep Lluis Sert in the 1960s. Our acoustical scope of services also included mechanical systems noise and vibration control.

The audiovisual scope of services included technology for new, state-of-the-art classrooms, courtrooms, auditorium, atrium, special presentation rooms, and multi-purpose dining, study, and conference rooms with audio and video-conferencing capabilities. The audiovisual systems include a fiber-optic backbone which allows high-quality video to be recorded and distributed throughout the building. A control room provides support personnel with remote monitoring, camera and source control, and recording and capture control capabilities.

The larger classrooms within the building can be used for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). They are treated as broadcast studios controlled from a remote control room. Robotic cameras, display content, and audio in the classroom can be controlled by operators in the control room where the course can be archived (audio/video), edited, and streamed at a later date or streamed live to a large audience.

Acentech’s telecommunications design scope included a high-speed, Cat 6e 10Gigabit converged network, state-of-the-art infrastructure design, along with new service entrances, cut-over schedules, cable pull schedules, and telecommunications rooms. The converged network systems include data, voice, audiovisual, security, and building management systems. Acentech also coordinated a major upgrade to the existing main distribution frame room, and provided coordination to ensure that the Law Tower radio transmitters would remain active during construction.