A collaborative space where science and creativity collide to deliver the digital ideas of the future.
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Imagine a cutting-edge collaborative space for developing and showcasing innovative, creative, interactive audiovisual projects that will shape careers and take media technologies to new levels. That was the opportunity the University of Salford saw when they took space at the MediaCItyUK complex on Salford Quays in Manchester.
MediaCityUK is host to the BBC, Britain’s national broadcaster, and many independent creative and media businesses — an ideal learning environment for the media professionals of the future.
The centerpiece of the University’s building is an elliptical space known as the Egg, which acts as a store window for the building and gives students the opportunity to showcase their work. Electrosonic worked with the MediaCity team to equip the Egg with a large, flexible video wall, presentation space and a set of interactive tables.
MediaCity UK provides a multidisciplinary, collaborative space where students can work with professionals from leading media businesses like BT, Adobe and the BBC on innovative, real-life projects. The entire building features leading-edge technologies throughout with production suites, studios and digital infrastructure specified by industry experts.
Audiovisual technology plays a key role in the current and future development of the University’s plans. It’s key to the collaborative environment and multidisciplinary approach of the University’s ambitious education and research programs.
The audiovisual deployment in the Egg reflects that vision. The University wanted to use this unique space for a number of different purposes - as an area for collaboration, a presentation space and an area for educating and entertaining students and visitors.
It’s a configurable space that can change with requirements. The video wall, for example, operates in a variety of configurations, sometimes showing a single high-resolution image or as many as 120 separate images. It also supports interactive applications.
Ten interactive stations offer games, access to web pages with University news and opportunities to trial innovative programs using multitouch infrared sensors.
The presentation area had to be configurable to accommodate different size meetings and content formats, while the videowall format and the interactive tables had to be adaptable to both educational and entertainment applications.
Similarly, the audio system had to be easy to relocate or augment for presentations or experiential projects. The aim was to develop and deliver a flexible, high-quality audiovisual environment that would transform, scale and grow with the University’s changing needs.
Electrosonic engineered a flexible solution to meet the University’s requirement for a creative, multi-purpose collaborative space. The free-standing video wall is configurable for different arrays and project layouts, giving students more flexibility as well as creative freedom.
The flexible audio installation is easily relocated, eliminating the need for duplicate systems. Electrosonic continues to support the University with a service contract, including preventative maintenance visits.
The unique creative environment of MediaCityUK gives students, staff and researchers an unparalleled opportunity to collaborate with leading digital organizations in a multipurpose space.
The Egg has the ability to transform and grow into a number of flexible presentation layouts and uses. The audiovisual deployment gives students access to the latest leading-edge systems future-proofed for emerging technologies in the digital economy.
