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One of the 10 spaces at the new Innovative Learning Classroom Building (ILCB) at Texas A&M equipped with Harman AV components.

Texas A&M University Equips New Learning Spaces With HARMAN Networked AV

AMX encoders, decoders, controllers and touch panels for control as well as JBL Control Series loudspeakers and a Soundcraft Vi3000 console for sound reinforcement at the Innovative Learning Classroom Building (ILCB) in College Station.

AV integrator Avinext and consulting firm Shalleck Collaborative recently equipped 10 learning spaces in the new Innovative Learning Classroom Building (ILCB) on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station with HARMAN networked AV systems incorporating AMX, JBL and Soundcraft components.

In response to increasing enrollment and population growth in the state, the university launched a large-scale campus expansion project, which includes the new ILCB. The facility’s learning spaces are suited for different applications, with capacities ranging from 72 to 605 students. The spaces include small, medium and large in-the-round arena-style lecture halls, a fan-shaped lecture hall, an egg-shaped classroom, three tiered learning spaces and two smaller learning studios.

Avinext (based in College Station) and Shalleck Collaborative (Berkeley, CA) outfitted the new learning spaces with AMX encoders, decoders, controllers and touch panels for control as well as JBL Control Series loudspeakers and a Soundcraft Vi3000 console for sound reinforcement. Additionally, Datacom provided infrastructure design and cabling for the AV, IT and security systems.

“We engaged with faculty from various disciplines to design a building that allowed us to maximize the pedagogical approaches needed for different types of classes,” says Dr. Juan Garza, Associate Vice President of IT-Academic Services, Texas A&M University. “Teaching can occur in the interchange of ideas and the dialogue between students, not just what the instructor is saying. The technology that we’ve put in the new facilities was specifically designed to allow and augment that, not to overshadow it.”

The project team selected AMX SVSI N2400 Series encoders and decoders that allow users to send audio and 4k video from any type of source to any destination in the building. AMX NetLinx NX integrated controllers provide control over the facility-wide system with low-latency Ethernet switching, security features and nearly unlimited scalability, while AMX Hydraport HPX table modules installed in shared tables allow students to send media from their devices to be displayed on projectors and piped through the loudspeakers in the room.

“AMX encoders and decoders provide us the flexibility to expand one classroom into nine others with the simple press of a button in the building video matrix,” notes Carlos Lucio, Assistant Director, Instructional Media Services, Texas A&M University. “The computer in our largest arena can easily be pushed to all other classrooms. The encoder and decoder sets also include the AES67 audio feature set which allows us to stream audio in the same manner to one classroom or all. AMX controllers give us ultimate granular control to and from devices, allowing our programmers to create simple yet robust control concepts for each classroom.”

To simplify end-user operation for instructors and speakers, Avinext and Shalleck outfitted all the spaces with AMX Modero G5 touch panels. Texas A&M staff designed a custom graphical user interface (GUI) to enable control of audio, video and lighting. Standardizing on Modero touch panels allowed the university to expand classroom functionality while streamlining the end-user experience.

“We know the products and we know we can make it work,” states Regina Greenwood, Director of Instructional Media Services, Texas A&M University. “The AMX user interface has helped us know how far we can push the envelope; how far we can expand.”

Avinext and Shalleck also installed a range of JBL Control Series speakers throughout the ILCB. JBL Control 29AV-1 wall-mounted loudspeakers positioned at the front of the rooms provide110-degree coverage for media sources while Control 67 HC/T pendant loudspeakers and Control Series 47HC high-ceiling loudspeakers provide focused overhead coverage with speech intelligibility.

“We used JBL loudspeakers throughout,” says Ian Hunter, Principal and AV Consultant, Shalleck Collaborative. “JBL’s wide range of form factors and coverage patterns gave us flexibility in placement, and the speakers’ Radiation Boundary Integrator technology delivers a very even soundfield. As always, we enjoyed great design assistance from the HARMAN team, including design review, advice, specialty configurations and a fast turn around.”

The Soundcraft Vi3000 console in the facility’s broadcast studio offers 96 inputs, 24 stereo buses and expandable I/O options. It’s capable of receiving audio from any source on the network, mixing and processing with onboard DSP, and distributing multiple outputs to any endpoint in the facility. This enables the university to facilitate a variety of use cases, such as broadcasting a lecture to the entire campus and allowing students in separate spaces to participate in real-time discussion.

“The ILCB is a state-of-the-art building with a focus on collaborative spaces for students, faculty and staff,” concludes Brandy Cobbs, Facilities Coordinator III, Innovative Learning Classroom Building. “This building will create a lasting impression on prospective students from all over the world. Texas A&M is known for its tradition, but the ILCB represents an evolution that will allow us to keep up with the ever-changing world around us.”

HARMAN Professional Solutions
Avinext
Shalleck Collaborative

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