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University of Kingston - London

British Universities face an enormous challenge in a global market for education.  To secure funding they must compete for students in a much more aggressive way than they have in the past.  Brand awareness and sophisticated technologies are becoming key factors in attracting students.

Recognising this, Kingston University in Surrey has built a large new teaching block and added major extensions to two of its West London campuses.

Impact became an integral part of this substantial project, working closely with the architects and builders to equip seventy-seven classrooms and three lecture theatres with audiovisual, videoconferencing and digital signage technology. 

“The new buildings, and especially the John Galsworthy building, presented us with many new, exciting possibilities” explains Roberto Volo, Head of Infrastructure for Kingston University, “however there were also a number of unknown factors when we first sat down with Impact.  Fortunately, an extremely dedicated project team came up with new ideas as construction began and our requirements changed”.

Volo is especially proud of the John Galsworthy building and the flexibility the av facilities incorporates, for the three main lecture theatres are equipped with video-conferencing equipment that allows for each theatre to inter-communicate.

The classrooms and auditoriums have been equipped with a specially designed, easy to use lectern that incorporates a Hitachi interactive panel, PC, DVD/VCR combi unit, amplifier and microphone. In addition an AMX/Procon control panel allows for the remote monitoring of all seventy-seven projectors installed in the classrooms.

Ten 42” high-resolution plasma displays have been installed in reception areas throughout the campus to provide students and personnel with updated news and information.  Panasonic NMStage Digital Signage software and hardware system allows for scheduled advertising and messaging content to be distributed effectively to all screens.

“Today’s students have grown up in a digital world and are technically very comfortable.  These ‘digitally savvy’ are much more concerned about content” explains Volo. “The days of predetermining how content is being delivered are numbered.  It is our task to provide students with the freedom to choose the way in which content is delivered and exchanged”.

Volo believes this aspect of future technologies in education is so important that he has made sure the newly modernised buildings at Kingston are made future proof, ensuring the existing systems will be able to accommodate communication and audiovisual technologies as they change and new ones emerge.