If you thought Crestron’s CEDIA EXPO booth was huge this year, then you should see the company’s new Experience Center at its world headquarters in Rockleigh, New Jersey.
The new multi-million dollar interactive environment celebrates the company’s 40 years of innovation and leadership and provides a fully immersive experience for collaboration between integrators, architects, designers, and other Crestron clients.
The center’s atrium-style reception area
The 8,000-square-foot suite, which officially opens on October 20, features an atrium-style reception area, a multimedia presentation room, a video conferencing boardroom, a Theo Kalomirakis Home Theater, and an expansive interactive design lab.
The center was designed to serve as a destination location and one of the highlights of a complete tour of the sprawling Crestron campus. In addition to the Experience Center, Crestron will open its doors to business partners and guests for an inside look at the rarely seen 100,000 square-foot Research Center, where more than 350 engineers are developing the products and technologies, the the company’s 150,000-square-foot manufacturing plant, the 50,000-square-foot pre-production facility, and the 50,000-square-foot worldwide distribution center.
Crestron’s executive VP, Randy Klein, hopes that this company’s appointment-only tours will help provide business partners with better appreciation for the level of commitment, investment, and expertise that Crestron puts into its digital HD technology and control solutions.
“Some people know us, and think of us as a big company and industry leader. Others may not have heard of us at all,” Klein said. “But to come here and see it all first-hand is always an eye-opening experience. It’s hard to imagine what we have and what we’re doing. You really have to come and see for yourself.”
World-renowned interior designer, Andres Escobar, designed the Experience Center. Appointed with the finest fixtures and furnishings, the center features a terrazzo entranceway that leads a visitor from a typical corporate reception area into an open grand atrium with rounded walls and a high ceiling that features geometric skylights.
“When you walk through the doors you immediately know this is not a typical showroom or demo area,” Klein explained. “We didn’t rent or move into a generic commercial space. We started with a clean slate and challenged Andres to design a modern space that would create a unique atmosphere that would facilitate creativity and collaboration, and where we could also host events and showcase technology.”
The reception area features a 7.1 in-ceiling surround sound system, Digital Projection HD projector and Stewart Filmscreen StarGlas screen, Hubbell Lighting fixtures, Philips Color Kinetics three-color LED chase lights, Renaissance Lighting LED downlights, a custom-made wave-shaped stainless steel counter with a quartz countertop and leather high-back stools. LED lights are installed throughout the center, and are dimmed and controlled from Crestron touchpanels to establish the desired ambiance for various occasions, such as a sales meeting or corporate event.
The center’s presentation room and executive boardroom demo spaces are completely furnished, and feature the latest solutions including a Digital Projection dVision projector and a Pioneer HD display, Hunter Douglas motorized shades, and Crestron audio, video, and control systems.
Vincent Bruno, Crestron director of marketing, added that these aren’t simulated or mock-application vignettes, with installed systems in real fully operational rooms. “No cost was spared and no detail was overlooked, right down to the modern designer bathroom, which is also Crestron controlled,” he explained.
The Theo Kalomirakis Home Theater was designed to deliver the highest quality HD video and surround sound experience. Featuring Crestron PROCISE 7.3 HD surround sound processing, ADMS Intermedia Delivery System, Digital Projection TITAN three-chip 1080p projector, Stewart Filmscreen 143-inch CineCurve screen, Revel speakers, RPG acoustical room treatments, and CinemaTech theater seats, guests are treated to nothing short of media euphoria.
Finally, the interactive design lab features more than 500 Crestron products on display. At their leisure, clients can peruse, compare and evaluate working, fully programmed entertainment systems, touchpanels and remote controls, lighting and HVAC systems. The entire facility has a digital infrastructure, fully wired with Crestron’s revolutionary DigitalMedia (DM) Cable, with DM components installed throughout, allowing visitors to experience the only end-to-end digital solution available today.
“It’s one thing to read a spec sheet online or flip through a catalog,” Bruno said. “But step into an environment like this and actually push buttons and watch magic happen is the best way to understand the benefits and value of our solutions.”
