We would like to congratulate Jim Horn with his recent promotion to Associate Principal.  We’re pleased to have him as part of our team.  Follow this link for the complete story:  http://www.ta-inc.com/pressrelease.htm. 

We are attending the following industry events.  Be sure to stop by and say hi.  If we don’t see you, give us a call—we’d love to catch up!

TEA SATE Oct. 9-10 in Orlando, FL
AIA California Council Oct. 19-20 in Pacific Grove, CA
Worship Facilities Expo Oct. 24-26 in Atlanta, GA
DBIA Oct. 31-Nov. 2 in Dallas, TX
AIA VA Nov. 7-9 in Richmond, VA
IAAPA Nov. 12-16 in Orlando, FL

We model the helipad with different pad locations and flight path profiles in respect to nearby noise-sensitive receptors.  The modeling results help determine the best combination of the variables to produce the least noise at the receptors.

Having just completed work on the new Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Hospital campus, we’ll use that facility as an example.  As Kaiser Santa Clara is not a trauma center, the helipad will be used for emergency transport of patients to Stanford Medical Center for specialist procedures.  The anticipated usage is 1-2 transports per month.  Due to the existing rooftop mechanical equipment, the helipad could not be located on the roof, but is on an elevated platform, adjacent to the hospital and in close proximity to the residential neighborhood.

Thorburn Associates worked closely with the Kaiser Facility project architect, Anshen + Allen (http://www.anshen.com/) to evaluate the noise impact of the proposed helipad on the adjacent residential neighborhood and the hospital itself. 
To perform our evaluation, we used the HNM 2.2 (Helicopter Noise Modeler) software, which is currently recognized by the federal government as the official modeling software for heliports/helipads.  For our evaluation, we modeled two anticipated flight paths using two different helicopter models commonly used for local EMS operations.  To reduce impact on the adjacent residential neighborhood, the arrival and departure paths are in an east to west orientation.  This allows the helicopter to fly along the Lawrence Expressway, the primary noise source in the area, for most of the flight path prior to final descent and take off.

Our evaluation indicates that the helipad will not pose a significant impact on the residential neighborhood, with the given helicopter models and flight paths; however, the helipad will impact the hospital itself.  This was addressed by using windows with higher acoustical performance. 

The display system is a crucial element of the overall videoconferencing system—larger, 16 x 9 wide screens give the viewer the sense of “being there.” Combining a high quality display with HD videoconferencing allows users to experience the nuances of expression and gestures that could not be seen with standard videoconferencing.

To support this improved image, bandwidth (or network data rate) ranging from 1 megabit per second (Mbps) to 4 Mbps is required for HD videoconferencing. (That’s 3 T1 lines!) Traditional videoconferencing requires bandwidth of 384Kbps (That is good quality DSL.)

Audio quality is an often-overlooked element of a successful videoconference. HD video will be of reduced benefit without high quality audio to go along with it. Natural flow of conversation is key to a quality videoconference.

To send HD video over the videoconference CODEC (the hardware/software solution that COdes the information at one end of the videoconference then DECodes it at the other) users must also invest in a HD camera.  HD cameras provide greater flexibility. This translates to a clearer picture and an overall wider view of the conference room.

The benefits of videoconferencing are numerous.  Tasks such as project meetings, client contact, and even training seminars that would normally require expensive air travel for large corporations are easily and effectively completed by videoconferencing. Effective long distance decision-making has never been easier. Professionals are no longer required to spend their lives on airplanes, which can boost employee loyalty and morale.

HD videoconferencing is used beyond the corporate environment. The education, government and healthcare environments also benefit from the HD experience.
Educational institutions use HD videoconferencing technology to connect between multiple educational sites. Teachers and students benefit from full interaction between classmates, teachers and knowledge experts.

The healthcare industry uses HD videoconferencing systems to allow medical professionals to service patients remotely, obtain continuing medical education, and run the day-to-day business of hospitals without loss of quality or care. With HD systems, physicians and other caregivers are able to see detailed symptoms clearly and can assist with a diagnosis from thousands of miles away.

The facility consists of over 300 beds, 21 operating rooms, a Pediatric Center, 5 pharmacies and 2 lobbies.  A connecting sky bridge joins the medical office building with the hospital. Two parking structures flank the buildings and a helipad is located near the hospital, near ground level.

TA's strategies for the acoustical design addressed: speech privacy as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA); parking garage noise; sound isolation; mechanical noise and vibration control for the central plant; noise abatement for the cooling towers and noise from the helipad.

The hospital’s main focus was to diminish the overall noise impact of hospital activities on the surrounding neighborhood—a challenge for the previously unassuming cherry orchard morphed into a state-of-the-art hospital.

To enhance the acoustical environment between birthing suites, examination and hospital rooms, TA looked at sound isolation details including materials used to construct the walls and penetrations through the walls such as ventilation and heating/cooling details. This helps to insure patient privacy during exams to meet HIPAA requirements.

To lessen the impact of noise from the parking structure, several recommendations were implemented: texturing the floor surface to reduce tire "squeal" noise; moving the staff parking area to below grade; relocating the garage entrance and exits to limit the impact of traffic noise and enclosing the structure to help reduce noise from car doors closing, lock beeps and horns.

A facility's cooling towers can have a significant noise impact on the facility as well as the surrounding community. To help minimize this impact, TA recommended a 20-foot wall of absorptive materials to enclose the three towers. 

The helipad noise was relegated to already noisy corridors.  Flight paths follow local freeways as much as possible rather than over residential areas.  The helicopters also only operate during normal business hours.

From parking structures to helipad to birthing suites, TA’s acoustical recommendations have proven successfully implemented and the new Kaiser Medical Center now serves its members in the Santa Clara Community--as quietly as possible.

The Polycom HDX 9004 is a high-definition (HD) Video Teleconferencing CODEC capable of sharing HD video, content, and high fidelity audio. The system offers both standard and HD video resolution of 720P at 30fps and two channels of 22 kHZ crystal clear audio.

This CODEC offers the ability to communicate effectively at a level far beyond that of standard definition videoconferencing CODECs.  A major advantage of this system is the ability to share content varying from CAD drawings to television ads at native resolutions in order to fully understand and coordinate decisions effectively.

As a standards base CODEC, the HDX 9004 is also compatible with any existing videoconferencing system.  The connection may not be in HD when connecting to legacy systems, but this CODEC has the flexibility of transmitting HD when the network permits.

The HDX system is easy to integrate with the industry’s highest level of flexibility for control, audio and video connections. Five HD video inputs are available for connecting anything from an HD document camera to DVD players.

If you need the ability to make decisions fast with high-resolution images over long distances, the HDX 9004 will give you the ability to do so with the confidence of HD clarity.