Making The Grade: Multimedia Technology Brings Inspiration To Education

The Challenge

Helios Education Foundation was determined to build a new campus headquarters that would be a source of inspiration for educators and the community by combining visually stunning, sustainable architecture with innovative, highly collaborative audiovisual solutions.

Solutions

Wall-mounted 98” NEC C981Q Ultra High Definition Commercial Displays installed in several areas, including the large conference room, executive conference room and executive boardroom.

A stunning array of seven 86” NEC Ultra High Definition Commercial Display arranged in an arc in front of seated participants.

Result

A strikingly magnificent, yet practical space that leverages state-of-the-art multimedia technology to enhance learning and collaborative education for generations to come.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Helios Education Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to helping individuals achieve success in postsecondary education. Helios primarily works with underserved first-generation students and minorities. It recently found it needed a new headquarters that would be much larger and more technologically advanced to enable its goals of increased community collaboration and organizational growth and expansion. Helios wanted to empower new educational opportunities and capabilities by integrating cutting edge technology within innovative, sustainable and artistically stunning architectural designs.

Building the Team to Build the Dream

Helios engaged NV5 (formerly The Sextant Group), a well-known AV consulting firm, to create the vision for marrying progressive architecture with powerful technology. Then they contracted with Spinitar, a leading systems design and integration firm to make the technology design a reality. With assistance from other trusted audiovisual experts and organizations such as RP Visual Solutions (RPV), Sharp/NEC and Crestron, the pros at NV5 and Spinitar were able to bring to life a fresh space with a modern and culturally significant architectural flare. The project strongly features and leverages technology from NEC in some truly creative ways.

Collaborate to be Great

Sharp/NEC displays are designed to be not only easy and intuitive for users, but also platform agnostic. This allows them to work seamlessly with multiple programs and software solutions, including everything from presentation programs to collaborative audio/video conferencing systems, automation platforms and more.

For example, the Boardroom, Large Conference Room and Executive Conference room feature wall-mounted 98” NEC Ultra High Definition 4K Commercial Displays that support wireless media sharing, presentations and video conferencing.

Immersive Possibilities

One of the crowning technological achievements in this project is the Helios Decision Theater that features seven 98” NEC C981Q Ultra High Definition Commercial Displays. Spinitar worked closely with mounting solution partner, RPV to create a custom mounting structure for a visually spectacular, curved array of NEC Flat Panels that arc in front of a seated audience. The structure provides both stability and precision alignment to deliver a truly immersive experience.

“RPV was pleased to work with Spinitar and Sharp/NEC on this extremely specialized display element. The custom RPV structure allows the seven 98” monitors to rigidly and accurately align in a horizontal array, providing stunning images across the display area. RPV’s custom “swing-mount” support structure provided optimal alignment, ease of service access and long-term stability for the large displays. This is exactly the type of application that requires a purpose-built display structure to enable a fantastic outcome,” said James Fife, Consultant Extension with rp visuals.

Technology to Last

With the help of technology partners and providers, Helios Education Foundation was able to achieve their goal of combining sustainable architecture with innovative audiovisual solutions. And the choice of implementing products of the highest standards—that are built to last, such as displays from Sharp/NEC, this campus will inspire community collaborations that will help pave the path towards student success for generations to come.