When Lannan Foundation closed operations in Santa Fe and set up new operations in New York City at the end of 2024, Macktez was given an opportunity to help design technical solutions for its new headquarters in the historic and landmarked Bayard-Condict building (the only building in NYC designed by renowned architect Louis Sullivan) in downtown Manhattan.
The mostly open floor plan needed to support up to four distinct organizations, with dedicated space for workshops, internal meetings, floating workspaces, professional conferencing, and audio/video screenings. Our technical assessment and subsequent installation work would consider:
- New network stack
- Structured cabling
- Wireless networking
- Conferencing solutions
Lannan’s goal was to maximize flexibility for the current in-person needs while establishing reliable infrastructure for potential future expansion should needs change.
Approach
Macktez met with stakeholders from Lannan and the project’s architect, Leong Leong (also a Macktez client and a fellow occupant of the new office with Lannan) to review plans, discuss specific needs, and establish an appropriate budget.
“Macktez is a consistent partner that we have had the privilege of working with for many years,” said architect Dominic Leong. “Their entire team carefully and diligently delivers a range of solutions for our clients, while taking the time to adequately explain the pros and cons of each solution. Their ability to troubleshoot and problem solve from concept design through construction administration is best in class.”
Our technical team visited the site pre-renovation to photograph existing conditions, identify potential installation challenges, and confirm our expected cable paths.
We delivered an assessment report, detailing:
- Existing conditions
- Security needs
- Cable path considerations
- Acoustic observations
We also outlined technical recommendations, including equipment and proposed budget, for the network equipment, low-voltage cabling, and conferencing solutions for the boardroom and for a flexible meeting room cart on wheels.
Process
Once our recommendations were approved by Lannan and Leong Leong, we developed a project plan in January with the expectation that the site would be move-in ready mid-April.
The construction schedule, as is often the case, was a challenge: multiple construction and logistical scopes needed to be completed by other vendors before our work could begin. Macktez participated in regular check-ins and updated our schedule as needed.
The historic building presented other interesting challenges. As one would expect with any historic structure, building management was appropriately protective of all work taking place within the space. Fully executing our technical implementation for the space required detailed planning, scheduling, and flexibility to accommodate scheduling changes due to unforeseen delays with other contractor/construction work taking place in tandem.
Solution
- Macktez recommended a professional network stack consisting of a Sonicwall edge device, a Cisco multi-gigabit business switch, and Mist access points from Juniper to ensure that the network performance would be outstanding in the mobile-first, open workspace environment.
- We ran, terminated, and validated Cat6 Ethernet lines throughout the office.
- We ran, terminated, and validated Cat6a Ethernet to the Access Points to maximize available bandwidth for wireless users.
- We built a boardroom conferencing solution around Logitech, Zoom, and two 65-inch 4K displays; and deployed the same equipment with a single display to a Heckler AV Cart for the mobile conference solution.
Results
Strong communication kept the project on time and on budget despite unanticipated adjustments to the day-to-day timeline. Besides Lannan and Leong Leong, two other organizations are working from the same space, and broader programming is currently being developed for resource sharing and collaboration. The open plan, pre-wiring for ceiling-mounted speakers and projectors, will allow for future implementation of audio/video equipment for foundation events and screenings.
Lannan Executive Director Brenda Coughlin wrote, “When our architects at Leong Leong make a recommendation, we pay attention. And indeed Macktez has been a dream to work with: clear, efficient, creative, thoughtful, and no upselling. We liked working with them so much on the new shared workspace that we’re now partnering with them for ongoing IT services.”
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