Usually a window enables supervisors to give the room quick looks without opening a door. As school districts usually prefer that only trained staff members have access to a head-end room, most designs also secure the room by allowing access only through a secondary area, such as through a work room or media specialist's office. The television studio or video production area, shared computer lab, large group lecture or presentation room, and distance-learning room or lab are a few of the areas that need to be close to the room. Often overlooked when planning your head-end room are the environment and services necessary to keep this room functioning and provide capabilities for future technological expansions. The electrical engineer should plan for adequate power to run the initial equipment and provide spare circuits for future equipment.
Many newer buildings have computer power on separate panel boards and isolated from other systems.
Power needs for each piece of equipment should be provided to your engineer early in the design process of the building. As every piece of equipment in the head-end room generates significant heat and requires special treatment, extra cooling and humidifying are necessary to keep the equipment from tripping off. The BTU heat load for each piece of equipment is easily attained and should be shared with your mechanical engineer early in the design process. Don't forget that the phone system, computer hubs, servers and mainframes, and people add heat to the room. If you are planning for a satellite dish or antenna, they should be directly above the head-end room with their cable runs terminating there.