• Case Studies

Rabobank’s new UK headquarters at Sixty London Wall is a showcase of sustainable thinking in global finance. The new site had to reflect Rabobank’s brand vision and support new ways of working and also meet ambitious environmental targets. Completed within 33 weeks and spanning 4,500 sq m the office targets the highest sustainability credentials of BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum.

Consultant PTS was tasked with designing the AV systems inside Sixty London after being awarded the project through a competitive tender. And it was to go straight to work. Glenn Laing, senior AV consultant, PTS takes up the story almost from the very beginning of what was an 18-month project. “We were brought in to do a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) stage 1 briefing originally, which allowed us to get to know the client well, understand their current problems, understand their standards, understand any end of life equipment.”

This proved to be a huge advantage to PTS, “It meant we could influence the project at a briefing level as opposed to coming in when the four walls are already in place, and we’re just applying AV to a building that’s already being designed.” The architect on the project was Sheppard Robson, and the integrator was Audio Visual Group, with Overbury as the main contractor. Being involved so early in a project has obvious benefits for any AV consultant or integrator, but it also means direct contact with the architect, and sometimes that relationship can be tricky.

But not here says Laing, quite the opposite in fact. “The architects were amazing throughout. Sheppard Robson appreciated how important AV and technology is in general to the overall success of the building. It took a hands-on interest in coordinating all of the particular AV requirements into the space, using the coverage patterns we provided. The client was outstanding here because it would take the plans and fully integrate the technology into the architectural scheme and the coordination and end result off the back of it has been fantastic.

Because we were involved in the project from the onset and the briefing stage we had a really good understanding, not just for the client requirement, but the overall design intent. It wasn’t the usual AV team coming in late and then trying to put an ugly bit of equipment in their feature ceiling, which is where a lot of the tensions come from when its form versus function.” When asked what the scope of the work PTS undertook at Rabobank was, Laing replies; “If you can see it and you can hear it, then it falls into the AV scope and that’s the case here.”

AV tech in the meeting rooms is based around Microsoft Teams and Poly conferencing soundbars, with LG microLED displays, a Crestron NVX backbone handles the AVoIP element, and Biamp speakers provide clear audio. Working for a financial client such as Rabobank, it’s no surprise network security is paramount. “AV over IP here was quite interesting. We were working for a financial institution, and it didn’t want any of that on their network, so we designed separate networks for each of their event spaces. We have AVoIP, Dante, NDI, audio control, video control all running over separate switches which we designed as part of the scope.”

There are three event spaces, with the standout being the Gather Space, a 100-seat hospitality and presentation hosting venue. What was the brief the client first gave to PTS? The remit was for something “reliable, sturdy, impressive and cutting-edge,” says Laing. Rabobank takes up two floors of Sixty London Wall, with the 4th floor full of 25 meeting rooms, and the 5th floor reserved for the events spaces. The 4th floor is a mix of focus rooms and general purpose meeting rooms ranging in size from four people up to twelve people. As well as the Gather Space, there is a second multi-purpose entertainment space called the Connection Hub, which functions as a café, and another flexible space called The Loft.

The Gather Space is a major highlight of the project, with a large Barrisol lighting feature in the ceiling. This proved to be one of the biggest challenges for PTS on the project, says Laing, because “you couldn’t hang anything off it. You couldn’t hang anything above it. You couldn’t cut holes in it. It was a non-negotiable, but it meant potentially creating a big area of zero coverage, so we had to be very careful with the placement of the microphones and speakers.” The room is elliptical so PTS decided to specify a curved LG LED screen to match the overall shape of the space. “The light feature was in the middle of the room so we couldn’t have any AV equipment visible in the light. This is where close coordination is important [between consultant and architect]. We specified a range of circular elements which were sympathetic to the overall intent. Lots of it was hidden above a fabric ceiling, in the end the only visible elements on the ceiling itself were Biamp Parle microphone arrays.”

Another area to provide PTS with a challenge was The Loft, which went through some changes after the integrator and the contractor were brought on board. “There was a complete design shift for the fifth floor event space and that was driven around getting more capacity into the area,” explains Laing. “We tendered one design and had to completely change it, now it’s a multi-format space with four or five different layouts with Crestron 1 Beyond camera tracking, Biamp audio and three LG MicroLED screens.”

Another interesting aspect of the design was how to accommodate press interviews the bank often has to provide. “As a client they give interviews to news channels and they were moving away from the old Globelynx camera setup as more of these interviews are now happening on Teams or Zoom. Originally we had a dedicated room for interviews with a green screen and a corporate backdrop, but as it’s a trading environment they wanted something more lively, so the background is the trading environment with a nice view of to the city in the background.”

PTS then went through various iterations of the design for the interview space which included liaising with various stakeholders, including the staff member in charge of giving the majority of interviews. “We had to look at the lighting, and we had to arrange the camera in a good place. Audio is of primary importance, but it was interesting how you could really streamline that from what used to be a big purpose built box,” adds Laing. PTS had to be aware of the many different roles and AV requirements the Rabobank staff have. “There are traders there so we had to design various special business digital signage for the trade floor - such as world clocks and TV news - but it’s a real mix, including facilities staff and various other roles within the bank.”

How did PTS get that mix right? “It makes that discovery piece at the start of the project more important so you can document what the requirements are and you can tangibly deliver on them later,” says Laing. The main stakeholder within the project was representing the IT/AV team, and that group was ultimately responsible for managing the events systems as well. “From the onset of the project it was determined we needed to provide a dedicated spot for an in-house technician to remotely manage events, so they have the ability to present, with a repeater screen if needed. The main requirement that emerged was for the client to change the audio levels live, so we’ve got a Dante mixing desk that can be shared between each of the three spaces, which is quite a neat solution.”

As is often the case the client wanted the event spaces to be as flexible as possible. To achieve this, a steering group was formed to represent different interests from across the business. “The technical steer came from the IT/AV team. We were heavily engaged with facilities, particularly around topics such as flexible rooms. When you have camera-tracking systems in a flexible room where the furniture needs to be moved around, it’s really important that those guys understand their role because it really can’t be understated,” adds Laing.

Dealing with any financial client dictates that security is a high priority, and this project was no exception. “We were given a very clear remit - don’t put any kit on the network. Anything that doesn’t need an Internet connection doesn’t have an Internet connection, so conferencing and room booking is on the client network. Everything else is separate,” explains Laing. One challenge area around network security was in the planning of assisted listening systems. Laing takes up the story; “What we wanted to do was bring their hearing loops into the 21st century. The experience you get through copper is not great, so we recommended a Bluetooth Wi-Fi system in Sennheiser Mobile Connect.

Unlike most other bits of kit on the project, this had to go on the network because it needs to be discoverable. We did a proof of concept for six months. In tandem with the building fit-out, the client was also doing a network refresh called ‘next generation network’, where they were replacing the existing network vendors with new ones. At the same time as bringing the new building online, we’re trying to introduce a new service which is going to be part of building regulations as well. We were able to get the help of the facilities team who were able to fight the battle for us and say I know this is difficult for IT but we need this because we can’t open the building without it.”

It has been proven time and time again, that early engagement on the AV portion of a project can significantly increase your chances of a successful outcome. And Rabobank in London is a great example of this. “Because we are there from the onset of the project we’re working to design milestones in the same manner that the architects are. The client gets various touch points along the journey where they can check in on progress, so by the time that’s formalised and turned into a spec or a tender that the rest of the market sees, there really shouldn’t be any surprises.” Even during the process the IT/AV team were given the opportunity to visit the factory testing part of the project. “It wasn’t a case of here you go, this is what you’ve got, they were given the opportunity not just to review the design, but to actively engage with the user interface they were going to get. Engagement is key,” adds Laing.

KIT LIST
Biamp Parle microphones, P30DT loudspeakers, Tesira DSP
Crestron Flex video conferencing, NVX AVoIP, 4-Series control system, 1Beyond camera tracking
LG UL3J large format displays, LSCB015-CKF LED displays, LAAA015 all-in-one LED displays
Netgear switches
Origin Acoustics THT-67 loudspeakers
Pan Acoustics PB 04-D column loudspeakers
Poly X52, X72 videobars
Sennheiser Mobile Connect assisted listening