Where Technology meets Architectural & Design
Barco Residential brings innovative visual experiences to all areas of the finest residences, combining technology leadership with architectural and interior design. Together with our partners, we have made it our mission to create Architectural Digital Canvases that enable the most immersive entertainment and cultural experiences in luxury homes for customers to share with their loved ones.
Architectural Integration
Our discerning clients are not just looking for a typical home-theater-in-a-box, much less for an unsightly projector hanging from the ceiling. All too often, technology becomes a ‘necessary evil’ that impedes the design imperative of a luxury home or yacht.
Each clients lifestyle is unique and every residence is unique. Clients are looking for ways to discretely integrate different experiences into their living spaces, not limited to Home Theater, but also including New Media Art, Gaming and Architectural Video. This calls for more customized and architecturally integrated video solutions, that offer far beyond what any mass-produced TV or home theater solution can offer.
Together with our partners, Barco Residential is at the forefront of driving these industry-wide changes, underpinned by our "Hide Everything but the Image" philosophy. We focus our development efforts on creating technologies and products that allow integration of systems to enhance rather than impede the architecture and design of the client’s residence, thereby turning technology from a "necessary evil".
How Design Professionals Work
Architects and designers tend to follow four main steps in any project: Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Document/Permits and Construction.
Schematic Design
In this step, the architect talks with the client to determine the project requirements and goals. The architect usually starts with rough study drawings that illustrate the basic design. This most often includes spatial relationships as well as basic scale and forms the owner might desire. Also, initial research of regulations is completed at this time. Initial cost estimats are also investigated based on total project size and complexity.
Design Development
In this phase the architect collects the results from the schematic design phase and takes them one step further. This phase involves finalizing the design and specifying items such as materials, window and door locations and general structural details. Wall thickness, direction of structural beams, placement of doors, lamp fixtures and furnishings are all part of the thought process in this phase.
To summarize; the phase where the customer takes decisions on all the critical aspects of the design. Design development usually yields a more detailed site plan, as well as floor plans, elevations and sectional drawings with full dimensions.
Construction documents or permits
Once the architect and client are comfortable with the drawings produced from the design development phase, they can move on to the construction documents.
The construction document phase produces detailed construction drawings used for the construction of 8 your project. These drawings typically include specifications for construction details and materials. Once the drawings are completed, the architects send them to contractors for tender as well as to the building department for required permit approvals.
Construction
And finally, the drawings become reality. Walls are built; ceilings are painted. The entire projects becomes a house.
Where do Integrators fit in
Where do integrators and manufacturers fit into the process? Ideally integrators should be involved from step one. This is the time advice and inspiration can be provided as to what kinds of experiences the client might be interested in. Does the client love movies? Is the client interested in New Media Art? Is the client an avid gamer? How can the digital canvases that enable these experiences be integrated seamlessly into the design and architecture of the home?
However, In reality integrators are not usually involved until step four, at which point it’s
usually too late to make the modifications necessary to enable the different experiences and seamlessly integrate the technology into the fabric of the home.
All too often we end up trying to simply retrofit large screens into the home, and a lot of opportunity is missed. Another challenge is responsibility.
Given that technology is so often seen as a challenge rather than an opportunity, architects and designers are sometimes reluctant to take on the responsibility of adding technology to the home, and don’t see enough value in involving custom integrators early.
With this web page, we hope to highlight the opportunities created for clients, architects, designers and custom integrators by engaging as early as possible in the design process.