University of Edinburgh – Flexible learning and teaching spaces upgrades
The University of Edinburgh is one of the world’s leading educational institutions. It is committed to achieving excellence and prides itself on delivering exceptional teaching and learning experiences.
With one of the largest university campuses and estates in the UK, the Development and Estates team support the implementation and use of technology in a wide range of teaching spaces. The aim was to provide lecturers and students with a standardised teaching and leaning experience regardless of the style of room they are in.
TOP-TEC had worked with the University of Edinburgh on multiple capital and refurbishment projects requiring technical AV/IT furniture and due to our proven track record, we were contacted by the team to see if we could help.
Key Project:
◉ Provide standardised lecterns for an improved uniform user experience.
◉ As a manufacturer we needed to be flexible to accommodate design
changes during the ongoing works.
◉ Provide fit-for-purpose solutions to suit the functionality of each room.
Let us do what we do best…
As part of this project, we helped the university renovate various rooms.
For each room, we collaborated with the university’s team to understand their specific requirements and ensured these needs were met at every stage of the project.
TOP-TEC offered our design services to provide a series of 2D room layouts alongside 3D product renders of each integrated furniture solution to help the university visualise the rooms.
This approach allowed them to provide feedback for adjustments before installation.
Decision making process: What type of spaces did we transform?
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Lecture and Seminar Spaces
The focus for these spaces was to supply a range of standardised lecterns that would ensure a consistent end user experience across all rooms on campus.
Standard features included the colours of the metalwork, worktop and edge banding, branding, worktop size, rack size, rack door aperture, grommet positioning, monitor arms, style of castors, control panel housings and worktop connections.
Based on this, TOP-TEC lecterns included were: Gemini Duet, Starlite, Contour Duplex and Aries Duo.
Having standard lectern specifications benefits users in that functionality is identical in all styles of rooms and reduces technical call outs during teaching time.
In one area, we also created a bespoke lecture capture camera hide that concealed the camera without affecting its functionality, ensuring a clear line of sight to the teaching wall during lectures. The university was pleased with our problem-solving approach that went beyond their stated requirements.
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Collaborative Learning Spaces
The aim of these spaces was to enhance student engagement between each other and with their lecturers. TOP-TEC used a bespoke approach to provide fit-for-purpose solutions taking into account the size of the room and how each space would need to work.
It was decided that our Synergy collaborative tables would be the best form of educational furniture for this type of of learning environment as it provides users with a dynamic and interactive solution.
For one project, we configured the Synergy tables to include a whiteboard, in addition to the standard screen at the end of the table, to enhance class discussions and teamwork. Additionally, we selected the Quad worktop shape because its design enhances collaboration and also allows the lecturer to engage in traditional classroom teaching, capturing the students’ attention when needed.
Equality Act compliant height adjustable Synergy Reverse Plectrums were also supplied in these spaces.
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Flexible Workspaces
The university’s Development team wanted to create flexible spaces that would support a wide range of uses. A room could be used for a hybrid lecture in the morning, a meeting space for a university society in the afternoon and a collaborative workspace for students who wanted to study in the evening.
To achieve this, we created the new Adapt Dual Screen Trolley. The computer trolley is easy to deploy, and has a configurable panel that can include power and connections such as USB.
The dual screens display two different forms of content simultaneously, thereby enhancing student engagement and ease of teaching.
The Result
The introduction of standardised lecterns has improved user experience which is now mirrored across teaching spaces in the university.
Offering students and lecturers a better learning experience at the start of sessions and minimising calls to the Development Support teams has made learning much smoother.
The university appreciates TOP-TEC’s ability to standardise solutions but also to make design alterations to existing products to support the university’s evolving requirements.
“TOP-TEC has been our go-to for years. Their extensive product range, available in any colour and top finishes, allows us to maintain a consistent standard in our regular rooms while crafting bespoke finishes for our more prestigious spaces.
Their flexibility in adapting designs to meet our needs and the robustness of their products have been invaluable to us.”
Stephen Dishon
Development Team Manager, The University of Edinburgh