BACKGROUND
In March 2010, Anglia Ruskin University began work on the £10 million project to construct a new building for their Postgraduate Medical Institute (PMI) on their site at Rivermead campus in Chelmsford.
As part of the project, Snelling Business Systems were invited to submit a tender for the audio visual requirements of the building; a process which not only included extensive technical documentation but also a presentation stage.
Their tender included supply and installation of the high complexity, high value integrated AV systems for the seminar rooms, board room and the two lecture theatres, as well as installation of a building wide audio visual distribution system and information signage screens.
Snelling Business Systems were appointed as the audio visual contractors for the project in June 2010.
AIMS OF THE PROJECT
The PMI was founded in 2008 and is a Partnership which brings together the clinical expertise and resources in Essex and parts of Cambridgeshire, with the academic strengths of Anglia Ruskin University. The PMI was created to pursue excellence in the promotion and delivery of health and social care both regionally and internationally, through joint research, teaching and innovation.
The PMI building itself was created with two primary objectives - to house the postgraduate research institute and to provide the university with the two largest lecture theatres on campus, which are available to all faculties, offering a diversity of usage including teaching, presentations and recreational usage.
The plans incorporated state-of-the-art laboratories, seminar rooms and meeting facilities for the medical and health communities, as well as a 400 capacity lecture theatre with fixed, tiered seating and a 200 capacity lecture theatre with retractable seating to create more flexibility.
The aim was to establish the PMI building as a hub for medical research, innovation and teaching for clinicians from the East of England.
TECHNICAL SOLUTION
The two lecture theatres presented the greatest technical challenges. In order to deliver the aims of the project, Snelling Business Systems recommended high definition conferencing facilities, which would enable operations to be relayed in real time to the trainee surgeons at the PMI building. This required specialist projection equipment in order to deliver the quality and fine detail necessary to convey the intricacies of surgical procedure. Furthermore Snelling Business Systems recommended a high specification sound system, which would complement the capacity for high definition movie content, and thus ensure that the multiple usage requirements for the theatres were delivered.
Each theatre was therefore fitted with individually designed systems, resulting in a highly complex installation. For the 200 seat theatre Snelling Business Systems suggested the Dual SXGA+ Projection Solution, with SXGA interactive panel, stereo audio system with DSP software interface, digital and analogue connectivity with modular matrix switching, TeamMate Tutor Dual AV furniture, SXGA visualiser with preview screen and Extron 7" touch surface control. For the 400 seat theatre, the specification was amended to offer Dual SXGA+ Projection with a third Full HD Cinema Projector, SXGA Interactive Panel, THX Certified Professional Sound System with DSP software interface, multipurpose DMX lighting, digital and analogue connectivity with modular matrix switching, TeamMate VariHite podium AV furniture and dual operation 12" touch surface control.
For the information screens, the team proposed Nexus InfoScreen Solutions, certified media players, Nexus recommended commerical full HD NEC LCD display and Nexus support.
For the seminar and board rooms Snelling Business Systems commissioned short throw projection equipment, wireless interactive board, vitreous enamel dry wipe boards, analogue & digital connectivity, TeamMate Educator AV furniture, Extron 7" touch surface control, Tandberg HD video conferencing with dual cameras, VC room control via Extron Touchlink and TeamMate media furniture.