The installation was part of a year-long overhaul of the university’s security and incident monitoring system, which now receives data from more than 200 on-site cameras.
Designed and installed by controls manager Dave Andrews, the centre has been set up for three operators and a supervisor who can all be working shifts of up to 12 hours.
“The centrepiece of the room is a main visual display comprising six 50-inch rear-projection cubes, arranged as a 3 x 2 matrix,” said Andrews.
“Originally we wanted bigger cubes but we couldn’t do it in the space provided. It’s the ergonomics that dictate what size cubes you can have, and this is something Gresham Wood understands very well.”
A further 50-inch TFT screen, located in a separate incident room, is also controlled from the video wall. Andrews said this means incident information can be posted on the wall in the event of a major incident like a fire.
The room was also built with storage space in mind and features matching drawers and filing areas.
Gresham Wood Technical Furniture & Design’s director, George Rutson, said, “Modern control centres such as the one at Southampton University facilitate much more than just CCTV. Each operator has the ability to manipulate images, copy and paste data regarding car parking, security status and so on from their own terminals on to the main wall. It creates a fully interactive monitoring situation.
“However, to make the most of this functionality, operators need to be completely comfortable and have all relevant displays within their eye line, without the risk of fatigue. Our design for Southampton University provides an efficient and clutter-free layout enabling each operator to undertake these tasks within an ergonomic environment.”
He said the control room complies with the ISO 11064 standard for the ergonomic design of control centres and relevant DDA standards.