Rochester Institute of Technology

Reimagining learning with an integrated innovation hub

Sector
Education
Location
Rochester, New York
Solution
Complex Audio Visual
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Challenge

Create an inclusive, state-of-the-art learning environment for diverse students, including the hearing-impaired

Solution

Kinly collaborated with RIT to integrate advanced AV technology across all learning spaces, including Crestron systems, LED displays and Zoom video conferencing.

Result

The SHED project provided RIT with innovative, inclusive learning spaces that enhance accessibility and empower all students to thrive.

The background

Kinly previously worked alongside Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to assist it with its 2019 cybersecurity project. This was designed and integrated to RIT’s exacting standards which gave them the trust and confidence in Kinly to award the Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED) project. One of the overarching aims of this programme was to achieve the same standards deployed in the cybersecurity project. We achieved this by collaborating closely with RIT’s IT team to meet networking standards and the Theatre Projects team to leverage their experience of working in production environments.

RIT is committed to driving a culture of inclusivity and has a large community of hearing-impaired students. Previously, the students would sit together in the same area of a lecture room to better engage with lecture content. As a result, an additional aim of this project was to provide a substantial technology upgrade that serves to provide a more enjoyable, more inclusive environment for students to learn and thrive in.

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The solution

At the heart of the SHED sits an impressive Planar LED marquee in the atrium area used for campus-wide broadcasting and messaging. The video wall is a staggering 12x14 array of Planar Luminate Pro Series 1.9mm indoor high bright DirectView LED displays, measuring an enormous 20ft wide x 23ft tall with an overall resolution of 3072x3584.

The majority of the larger active classrooms and lecture halls are based on multiple presentation systems throughout. Each has seven laser projectors recessed from the ceiling which proved an extremely challenging integration. Incorporated into these systems are Crestron UC engines based on Zoom video conferencing that leverages Crestron NVX for dynamic content sharing throughout the facility and wider campus within every classroom. They incorporate Shure microphones on all tables as well as wireless handhelds for lecturers. The smaller classrooms have LED display technology also leveraging Crestron NVX for content sharing and distribution.

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Maker spaces, where engineering students work on bringing their visions to life, utilise laser projection as well as Crestron NVX integrated video and audio for campus broadcasting. This allows students to collaborate internally in the spaces, as well as throughout the entire campus. The maker showcase area, where projects are finalised and demonstrated, features laser projectors, digital mobile carts for collaboration on-the-move and large glass doors that open the space out into the atrium to facilitate presentations and large events.

The project also involved the renovation of RIT’s Wallace Library. This included 32 classrooms as well as recording studios. All incorporated LED display technology, Crestron UC engines, NVX multicast technology, Zoom video conferencing capabilities and integrated audio and control. Additional areas included a green room equipped with LED displays, a dance studio also fitted with an LED display, Shure, JBL and Sound Tube audio systems, Crestron NVX and a music room with a fully integrated Crestron system, NVX, laser projection and a Meyer audio system.

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In addition, several of the classrooms in the Wallace Library are fitted with Crestron UC engines for compatibility with Zoom video conferencing, standard configurations for display technology and lectern podium positioning to allow for consistent content sharing throughout screens and classrooms.

To execute on its goal of uniting technology, art and design under one roof while stimulating collaboration, the SHED project needed cutting-edge collaboration tools. RIT standardised on Mersive Technologies’ Solstice platform to make wireless sharing from any device easy for anyone in the hall, whether they are a seasoned student, faculty member or campus visitor. This was a standard developed and agreed upon during the cybersecurity project.

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The result

Now fully operational as of November 2023, Kinly delivered a comprehensive package of complex AV solutions across all spaces in the SHED. This includes a premier makerspace, Sklarsky glass box theatre, Brooks H. Bower maker showcase, active learning spaces, the RIT ASL and Deaf Studies community centre, textiles and electronics makerspace, expressive communications centre and writing commons, project team spaces, performing arts practice rooms, dance studio, dance lounge and flexible classrooms.

To assist RIT with its ambition to provide a more inclusive environment for its hearing- impaired community, we worked closely with Contacta to enhance the hearing loops already in place. This delivered the capability to have sign language interpreters via Zoom video in classes, empowering students to learn where they are most comfortable for the best possible educational outcomes.

The SHED is a place where students can accelerate their creative concepts and innovations through charismatic collaboration and exploration. The SHED will allow students to think laterally, be creative and apply what they’ve learned in the classroom. This facility will help our students change the world.
David Munson
President, RIT
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