Sept. 29, 2004
East Carolina University recently took a giant step forward in research and teaching facilities with the completion of its new, $55 million Science and Technology building on the school’s Greenville, N.C., campus.

The new Science and Technology Building, off 10th Street on ECU’s Central Campus, is home to the Chemistry Department and the College of Technology and Computer Science, both previously housed in the outdated, deteriorating Flanagan Building.

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ECU officials envisioned a facility that would create state-of-the art instruction using collaborative classroom and distance learning technologies.

Assigned the task of creating the audio/visual system for the new building was Pittsburgh-based The Sextant Group, Inc., a national consulting and design firm specializing in environments demanding a high degree of technology.

In it’s mission statement concerning the audio/visual capabilities for the building, The Sextant Group stated, in part, “Science and technology have become increasingly inseparable as advanced multimedia systems and simulation techniques enhance the scientific learning environment. Laboratory and teaching facilities must provide a new level of sophistication previously unseen while enabling flexibility in the application of instructional technologies that both supports and encourages change.”

The Sextant’s Group concept for multimedia-based instruction and research oriented lecture halls and laboratories called for a design that integrated computer-assisted presentation technology, support data and video communication. Specifically, the A/V system would provide:

-State of the art multimedia-enhanced labs, classrooms and lecture halls;
-Facilities to enable the creation of media-rich content for instruction;
-Facilities to enable real-time distance learning and on-line instruction for remote students across the world;
-Conference and meeting spaces to support faculty and staff activities.

The sound reinforcement system for the four main lecture halls (207, 209, 307, 309) was accomplished through the use of surround-sound audio systems with left-center-right loudspeakers mounted behind projection screens in each lecture hall and additional surround-sound loudspeakers located around the perimeter walls of each lecture hall.

In order to deliver the clarity and intelligibility that was demanded, The Sextant Group specified 3 BAG END Opal Time-Aligned(r) speaker systems and 10 BAG END TA6000 Time-Aligned(r) mid-range loudspeaker systems for each lecture hall, a total of 12 Opals and 40 TA6000s.

The Time-Aligned(r) Opal delivers extraordinarily high output and fidelity in a very compact enclosure. It is a two-way, ported system containing a 12-inch high-efficiency cone driver and a high-compression driver with a 3-inch voice coil driving a custom-designed high-frequency wave guide.

The TA6000 is a Time-Aligned(r) compact, speech range high-output system that contains two 6½-inch cones with 1½-inch voice coils and a high-frequency bi-radial horn.

After working with the new audio system the year, ECU audio supervisor Tom Irons was more than satisfied with the result. “It’s working great, fantastically well,” he said. “The sound system has been nothing but a positive experience.”

The Sextant Group, Inc., is an award-winning full-service digital technology consulting firm specializing in design, engineering and specification of architectural and environmental acoustics, audio visual systems, IT, telecommunications, security and structured cabling technologies. The Sextant Group, founded in 1995, operates offices in Pittsburgh, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. More information can be found on the company’s web site: www.TheSextantGroup.com. Installation contractor for the project was Professional Products, Inc., 9116 Gaither Road, Gaithersburg, Md. 20877. Its web site is at: www.ppionline.com. East Carolina University, with an enrollment of 22,000, offers more than 100 bachelor’s degree programs, nearly 80 master’s programs and 13 doctoral programs. Founded in 1907 originally to alleviate the desperate shortage of teachers in the eastern part of North Carolina, it continues its tradition of teacher education as well as an study in the fields of health care and the fine and performing arts. More information on the school can be found on Its web site at: www.ecu.edu.