Boston Properties (BXP)

September 3, 2024Embarcadero 2, San Francisco, California

Large-scale headquarters AV and network infrastructure build-out at Embarcadero 2, including rough-in, conference-room systems, speaker work, and vendor-supported LED display installation.

This was one of the first large projects I worked on with Jeff and one of the more involved early jobs I took part in at MDC. The project supported Boston Properties' headquarters move into Embarcadero 2 in San Francisco and covered a broad scope of network, AV, and display-related work across the office.

We began with a rough-in phase that included pulling and staging large amounts of cable for access points, AV systems, and related infrastructure throughout the space. A large portion of the work was networking-heavy, with repeated cable routing, terminations, system testing, and support for the broader AV deployment across conference rooms and shared areas.

Beyond the rough-in, the project included speaker installation, room-system deployment, and finished meeting-space integration. I also supported work tied to an ALS system installed above hard lid, which added a separate coordination and access challenge within the broader build. Even with the scale of the project, the overall job ran smoothly and stayed organized from rough-in through final installation.

LED Display Installation

One of the more significant parts of this project was the LED display system. This was not a routine TV installation. Jeff and I worked closely with the vendor for roughly one to two weeks to learn the installation process directly, including panel mounting, module placement, wiring, service access, and the relationship between the display and its dedicated rack infrastructure.

The LED panels themselves were magnetic, removable modules that had to be installed and aligned carefully. Part of the learning curve was understanding how heat and cooling could affect the finished system over time. A wall that looked properly aligned during install could shift slightly after being left on overnight, and cooling cycles could change placement again. That meant the installation required not just assembly, but an understanding of how the wall would behave after extended operation.

This portion of the project was especially valuable because Jeff and I learned the system together in the field and built enough familiarity to support similar work independently afterward. It was a strong hands-on introduction to a more specialized display system than the standard conference-room AV work elsewhere on the job.

Early-stage LED wall layout and alignment work, showing the beginning of the installation process before the full display structure was built out.

LED wall structure after the modules were mounted, showing the framework and hardware involved before the face panels were installed.

LED wall during panel installation, after the system had been built out far enough to begin fitting and servicing the display face.

Large Conference Room

The large conference room was one of the more involved room builds on the project. Jeff and I worked on this room together, including cable runs, speaker work, and the broader system installation, and I finished out the remaining setup and final integration.

This room included the larger display wall, credenza integration, and the supporting hardware tied to the finished conferencing system. I wired and organized the credenza, followed the print, and completed testing to make sure the room came together cleanly as a finished system rather than just a collection of installed devices.

The large conference room during installation. Jeff and I worked on this room together, and I finished out the remaining setup and integration.

Credenza integration for the large conference room. I wired and organized this system, followed the print, and tested the room after installation.

Conference Rooms And Huddle Rooms

Outside of the large conference room, a major part of the project was repeating smaller room-system installations across the floor. That included huddle rooms, standard conference rooms, and shared spaces where the work was more repetitive but still had to be clean, consistent, and properly tested.

These rooms made up a large portion of the finished AV deployment. The work included mounted displays, soundbars, control surfaces, speaker support, and the broader coordination required to keep all of the smaller systems aligned with the overall build.

Finished huddle-room installation, representative of the smaller room systems we deployed repeatedly across the project.

Large display installed in preparation for the graphics treatment that would be completed behind the wall in one of the more open shared areas.

Another completed conference room on the opposite side of the building, finished as part of the broader room-system deployment.