- Pasadena City Hall is one of the most distinctive public buildings in the United States and one of the finest examples of California Mediterranean design. Built in 1927 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it stands as the dominant building in the Civic Center Historic District – a complex of government, institutional and cultural buildings that epitomizes the Beaux-Arts, City Beautiful planning movement of the early 20th century.
"We selected AMX for the Chamber because AMX is the only company offering a complete hardware and software solution for city government with on-site technical support," said Shepherd. "Without AMX, it would have been much more difficult, if not impossible, to meet the needs of this customer."
- In 2007, the city completed an extensive building rehabilitation project, which included significant technology infrastructure and equipment upgrades to its City Council Chamber, including new wiring and audio/video (A/V) equipment. The city hired AMX dealer Hoffman Video Systems of Glendale, Calif. for the project.
- As Steve Wright, assistant city engineer, explains, "We needed a technology solution that would preserve the historical integrity of the Chamber while simultaneously bringing it into the 21st Century. That's what we hired Hoffman to do, and that's exactly what they achieved."
Customer Needs
- "The city knew that they needed a control system to coordinate audio, video and lighting during meetings, and since the Chamber is used by a variety of outside groups, including zoning boards and community organizations, they also knew that they needed the touch panel icons to be intuitive and easy-to-use, so that the system could be used with little if any instruction," said Rob Shepherd, president of Hoffman.
- The system implemented in the Chamber features an AMX® NI-4100 NetLinx® Integrated Controller and 12-7" Modero® Touch Panels, which are installed at each councilmember's seat and allow them to mute and un-mute their microphone and to request permission to speak. They can also select and view video sources and feeds, such as a video, PowerPoint presentation, meeting agenda or document camera, directly on the touch panel.
- The Chamber's AMX Control System also includes AMX's iVote software, which simplifies and streamlines the voting process for the council and its administrative support. When a councilmember casts a vote using his/her assigned Modero Touch Panel, the vote is automatically logged and tabulated, providing real-time results.
- To provide technical support during meetings, the City Clerk and Assistant City Clerk each have a 12" Modero Touch Panel, which enables them to select which video source is displayed on each of the Chamber's four 63" Plasma displays. Additionally, they are able to prepare the 7" Modero Touch Panels for a vote and adjust the room's lighting.
Why AMX
- "We selected AMX for the Chamber because AMX is the only company offering a complete hardware and software solution for city government with on-site technical support," said Shepherd. "Without AMX, it would have been much more difficult, if not impossible, to meet the needs of this customer."
