Audiovisual systems have become a core part of how commercial and institutional buildings function, yet AV is still one of the most frequently deferred scopes on a project. When the design team treats it as something a contractor will sort out later, the building gets handed a set of requirements it was never designed to accommodate.
The stakes have grown alongside the market. A recent AVIXA report forecasts that the professional AV industry will increase by $70 billion over the next five years¹, driven by hybrid work environments, advanced meeting spaces, and technology-enabled venues. That scale has made AV system design a standard component of the building design process for commercial, institutional, and large-scale projects rather than an afterthought handled at the end.
In this blog, we'll explain what AV system design covers, when it should happen during the design phase, how it differs from AV integration, and how AV systems interface with the architectural and MEP scope.
AV system design covers a wide range of system categories depending on building type and owner requirements. Understanding what falls within scope – and what doesn't – helps architects structure the right team for their project.
Conference and meeting room systems include displays, cameras, audio conferencing, room control, and wireless presentation systems. These are among the most common AV systems in commercial office and institutional buildings, and among the most likely to be underdocumented when AV design is deferred to the contractor.
Building-wide AV includes digital signage, wayfinding displays, lobby and common area AV, and paging systems. These systems must be coordinated across multiple architectural and MEP disciplines – however, they fall outside of the typical engineer’s scope because they require specific and complex technology infrastructure.
Specialty systems include auditorium and large meeting room AV, broadcast infrastructure, stadium and venue AV, assistive listening, and specialty projection or LED display systems. These require the most detailed design work and the most coordination with architectural elements like rigging points, acoustic treatment, and sightlines.
AV system design does not cover IT network infrastructure, structured cabling backbone, or telecommunications systems – those are addressed under Division 27 low-voltage design. It does not cover security cameras or access control systems, which fall under Division 28. It also does not cover the installation, programming, or commissioning of the systems it specifies – that work belongs to the AV integrator.
Timing AV design correctly within the project schedule is one of the most consequential decisions an architect can make. Getting it right means integrated systems and accurate bids. Getting it wrong means retrofit conditions and change orders.
AV design should begin during schematic design for any project with significant AV requirements. At SD, the critical decisions are about infrastructure: where will AV equipment rooms or closets be located, what conduit pathways are needed, what structural backing is required for displays, and what power and cooling loads need to be reflected in the MEP engineering.
Design development is where AV system design produces its most detailed coordination work. Display locations, mounting details, conduit and cable tray routing, power outlet placement, and equipment room layouts must be coordinated with the architectural, structural, and MEP drawings during DD. Getting this coordination done during DD means the construction documents reflect it – which means contractors can price and build the work as designed.
Waiting until after CDs are issued to address AV design is a reliable path to field conflicts, RFIs, and change orders. At that point, the ceiling system, conduit, and equipment room sizing have already been determined without AV requirements in mind. Retrofitting AV into a design that wasn't developed with it is more expensive and produces less integrated results than designing it in from the start.
The most common source of confusion in AV project delivery is the conflation of design and integration. These are distinct roles with distinct deliverables, and understanding the difference is important for architects and project managers when structuring the project team.
An AV design consultant is engaged on the design side of the project. The consultant's work product is a set of construction documents – T-layer drawings, specifications, and schedules – that describe the AV systems the building requires. A well-executed AV design package is part of the bid set, enabling multiple qualified integrators to price the same scope against the same performance requirements. The consultant is vendor-neutral: specifications are written around performance, not products, so no single manufacturer or integrator has an inherent advantage.
An AV integrator is engaged during construction. The integrator's scope is to procure, install, program, and commission the systems specified in the design documents. The integrator works to the design, not in place of it.
When an integrator is brought in during design and asked to write their own scope, the result is a spec that reflects what that integrator sells and installs – not an independent assessment of what the project needs. That limits competitive bidding, creates owner dependency on a single vendor, and often produces systems that are sized for the integrator's standard offerings rather than the project's actual requirements.
Get answers to the most common points of confusion about AV system design scope, timing, and project team structure.
AV system design is the discipline of planning, specifying, and documenting audiovisual systems as part of a building project's design documents. It covers:
The output is a set of construction documents, including T-layer drawings, specifications, and schedules, that describe the required systems and enable competitive bidding by contractors.
AV design should begin during schematic design so that infrastructure requirements – equipment rooms, conduit pathways, structural backing, power loads – are incorporated into the architectural and MEP design. The most detailed coordination work happens during design development. Waiting until after CDs are issued to address AV design results in retrofit conditions, higher costs, and more field conflicts than designing AV during SD and DD.
An AV design consultant is a design-side professional who produces T-layer drawings, specifications, and schedules that describe the AV systems a building requires. The consultant is vendor-neutral and works alongside the architect and MEP engineer.
An AV integrator is a construction-phase contractor who installs, programs, and commissions the systems specified in the design documents.
The two roles are distinct and complementary; replacing design with integration typically produces less competitive bidding, less integrated systems, and more change orders.
AV system design is typically the responsibility of a technology design consultant engaged by the owner or architect. In the absence of an owner-engaged technology consultant, AV design is sometimes handled by a specialty design firm or left to the AV integrator – which introduces vendor-neutrality and coordination problems.
On projects with significant AV requirements, the architect of record or owner's project manager should confirm that AV design is covered by a qualified, vendor-neutral consultant producing construction documents.
AV systems require coordination with mechanical (equipment room cooling loads, ceiling system type), electrical (dedicated circuits, outlet locations, power loads), and, in some cases, plumbing (equipment room drainage for condensate).
This coordination happens during design development, when the AV design consultant works with the MEP engineer to ensure that AV requirements are reflected in the T-layer and MEP drawings. Conduit routing, equipment room sizing, and power stub-out locations are the primary coordination items.
AV systems are among the most deeply integrated technology systems in a building, and getting that integration right requires active coordination across multiple disciplines.
Ceiling systems affect AV in multiple ways:
Power requirements for AV systems run higher than most architects anticipate. Displays, amplifiers, video processors, and control systems all draw meaningful loads, while equipment rooms housing AV racks need dedicated circuits with appropriate ampacity, and the heat load from that equipment has to be included in the mechanical engineer's calculations for the room.
Have an AV-intensive project taking shape? TMC’s experts can build the AV program with the design team, write vendor-neutral specifications that any qualified integrator can bid, and coordinate the equipment rooms, power, and pathways with the MEP scope before the documents close. Talk to TMC now, while schematic design is still the place where these decisions get made cleanly.
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