The University of Hertfordshire has invested £10 million in its brand new Law Court Building on the University's de Havilland Campus. The building offers law students the opportunity to study at one of the most innovative law schools in the UK.
At the heart of the building is a full scale replica court room where students get the opportunity to practice their skills in a ‘real’ setting. In addition to this the building hosts a number of IT suites and seminar rooms all designed to a high specification ensuring a premium feel when attended by the local legal community.
Adam Harvey, events and technical support manager at the University of Hertfordshire was responsible for the design of the complete audio visual solution for the Law Court Building. The system was designed in alignment with the requirements of the academic staff at the School of Law as they are at the cutting edge of teaching and delivery methods. Combining lectures and practical teaching methods the equipment they use to complement their teaching was of the utmost importance during the design and build of the flagship building.
The overall brief was to design a system that provides the full standard technical specification for teaching; laptop, projector, visualiser. The challenge was that the academics didn’t want the technology to be visible as they felt that often bulky furniture and lots of technical equipment creates a physical ‘barrier’ between the academics and their students.
The PP1200-15u from JM Supplies was identified as an ideal solution for the project; the mobile teaching desk provides all of the functionality as standard with a lockable 15u rack cupboard.
Adam Harvey, commented “we had never painted lecterns before and instantly knew it was a great concept. We painted them to fit the décor of the rooms and they look fantastic. The colour matches the acoustic panelling and light fittings exactly, this teamed with white projectors and white screen housings made the audio visual elements of the room particularly unobtrusive.â€
“Not only does the PP1200-15u look good, it also does the job. The rack got really busy during this project and it has held the full system and is keeping it cool.†Adam Harvey.
The installation of the PP1200-15u went to plan, with the Audio Visual Reseller reporting that the engineers were extremely happy with the product. However it is inevitable that during the installation process the audio visual furniture will receive some bumps and scrapes. During sign off it was identified that some of the PP1200-15u’s angled sections were chipped.
JM supplies took this issue immediately on board recognising that audio visual furniture can withstand the knocks and scrapes that are inevitable throughout installation and general use. The solution was to improve the quality of the paint finish with an AC Lacquer.