August 04, 2022 CASE STUDY: How Kordz’ Commercial Grade Cables Made ‘The Nest’ More Than a Home

Much more than a home, Canberra’s hilltop design marvel, ‘The Nest’, required long-distance cabling runs for all networking, audio zones, distributed video, and a $60K AUD cinema room. Supporting the ideals and “open-minded” clients in their ultra-modern home, Audiotech’s Managing Director, Sean Linden, provided an ambitious AV solution befitting the standards of the multi-million-dollar dwelling. 

The Project

AV Befitting a Residential Architecture Sensation

Dubbed an ‘engineering and design marvel’ upon Red Hill and overlooking the city, ‘The Nest’ has delivered an ambitious new standard in super contemporary Australian living.

An expansive indoor-outdoor entertaining area captures Canberra’s iconic views, from the airport to Telstra Tower, and centres around a 5.5 metre high glass atrium at the focal point of the stunning four-bedroom home. The Nest features a car lift to and from the 480sqm basement garage, a two-person elevator to the rooftop terrace, a metre-thick suspended slab to support the swim spa, and a massive counter-levered “floating” steel and concrete roof over the driveway. 

For Sean, the project was a physical and theoretical challenge. Audiotech were tasked with installing and integrating a system worthy of Canberra’s latest king of residential design. 

Challenges

Entering Isn’t Memorable. It’s How You Leave a Room. 

The architects pushed the boundaries of design to provide the clients with an unparalleled vista that flows uninterrupted into the living spaces within. With the client’s love for entertaining their guests, an integrated AV system had to be worthy of the architectural and observational standards of the breathtakingly edgy, industrial-style home. 

With home theatre and Hi-Fi systems as specialties, and an impressive track record of installing immersive home cinema systems complete with acoustic treatment, Sean found The Nest a challenge Audiotech was sure to surpass. 

“They had a working, functioning home that just needed that last 5% of polishing things and dialing it in to suit how they wanted to live in the house. It’s always that last 5% that really makes the project. Automating, light scenes and motion control, and time of day for blinds to be controlled. It really enriches what you set out to do for the clients from the start.” 

Sean Linden, Managing Director, Audiotech 

Audiotech found the pressure to technologically integrate the architectural marvel was met with some physical limitations. The scale and scope of the house were usually only experienced in a commercial installations, such as long-distance runs requiring reliable cabling to run through the fully tensioned slab for the audio-visual element within the basement garage underneath. However, on a residential site upon the less-than-level iconic Red Hill.  

“From where the front door opens, straight through to the rear alfresco balcony, there’s very limited ceiling space to get cable access through. We had to be careful in how we ran cabling, so as not to compromise the ceiling. And so that they didn’t compromise our cabling by adding fixtures.“

Sean Linden, Managing Director, Audiotech 

Solution

“It’s easy to use, and the quality’s there.” 

Audiotech elevated The Nest’s AV experience to complement the boundary-pushing nature of the ambitious Canberra home. Impressive features included a state-of-the-art media room that’s completely hidden behind a pivoting wall.

Recruiting Kordz’ Commercial Grade Cables, including its Cat6, HDMI, Speaker and AV Cables, Patch Cords and Connectors, Audiotech overcame its challenges in both performance and installation in all networking, audio zones, distributed video, and a $AUD 60K cinema room. For Sean, the cabling was a simple choice having worked on many projects with predictably reliable outcomes for themselves and their clients.

The benefits are apparent to Audiotech, from the installers on the frontline making performance possible.

“I’m not often on the tools anymore. But my installers, they like using the (Kordz) product. It’s easy to use, and the quality’s there. We didn’t have any cables damaged or go astray or have any issues with what was done using the Kordz product in (The Nest), and that’s across the board using their HDMI cables, their bulk pro install cables.” 

Sean Linden, Managing Director, Audiotech

To Sean as Managing Director:  

“… (Kordz has) always looked after us as a company. We have a long-standing relationship, retail as a wholesaler, and we’ve got a really good long-standing relationship with the representatives.” 

Results

Predictable Reliability: A Catalyst for Digital & Professional Networks 

Audiotech follows the tried-and-true credo, “failure to plan is planning to fail”.

That professional attitude has gained Audiotech many referrals from its stellar work, culminating in the prestigious The Nest project. It’s this approach of leaving nothing to chance that makes Kordz a fit for Audiotech time and again. 

Becoming a predictably reliable AV pro means depending on the quality of your products that serve you while you serve others. Given Kordz’ emphasis on creating robust, flexible, and easy-to-use cabling products, The Nest faced little to no snags on the connectivity front.  

Despite the industrial-style construction and the weight of the “last 5%” proving to be critical in the home’s success, Audiotech found cabling designed with the integrator in mind to overcome installation challenges big and small. Crediting fast implementation and easy project management of the products, time for the integrators was saved and ultimately drove down end costs for project delivery.   

“When you’ve got great designers, architects and builders singing your praises and recommending you, it definitely helps.”  

Sean Linden, Managing Director, Audiotech

Showing integrity and reliability on the client-facing side has also proven beneficial for Audiotech in some unexpected ways.  

“They welcome us and other future prospects and clients into their home to see first-hand what’s possible, what we have done, and what we can deliver.” 

Sean Linden, Managing Director, Audiotech

Want to connect your next big AV idea to reality?  

To find out how we can combine strategy, experience, and technology to make it happen, contact Kordz.

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