Each space was designed by Hewshott from the outset as a hybrid environment, capable of supporting in-person teaching, remote collaboration and events without reconfiguration. Hybrid capability was an important requirement from day one, shaped in the design phase by Hewshott and built into the AV architecture at every level.

Matt Hall, Principal Consultant at Hewshott notes "The design vision for the building was to develop a system where every single one of the hundred or so AV-enabled spaces could be used flexibly, no matter what the requirements of the users at that time."

The entire AV infrastructure at the Schwarzman Centre is built on a fully converged AV-over-IP architecture. Rather than traditional point-to-point cabling, audio, video and control signals travel across the University's IP network, managed and distributed by a centralised platform.

At the heart of the system are eight Q-SYS Core 610 processors, each licensed with Capacity Scaling, Scripting Engine and UCI Deployment software, forming a resilient, building-wide backbone to handle all audio processing, video routing and room control.

Video is distributed via Q-SYS NV-21-HU AVoIP endpoints throughout the building, eliminating the need for traditional matrix switching infrastructure. Audio travels across a full Dante network, delivering high-channel-count, low-latency audio distribution to every space.

Every device on the network can be monitored and managed remotely. The network-first approach also future-proofs the building, meaning that adding capacity or integrating new technologies can be done without the physical constraints of a fixed cabling plant.

Stuart Harris, GVAV's Technical Sales Manager, describes the approach: "From a very early stage it was decided to go down an IP-first route. From that point onwards, Q-SYS was selected as the platform best suited to move all of the video and audio across the building."

Away from the atrium, an LED wall also serves as the main display within the building’s Harvard-style lecture theatre. A high-resolution 135" Sharp 1.5mm pixel pitch LED wall delivers a high definition presentation surface that remains vivid and legible from every seat. Either side of the display, QSC loudspeakers have been installed, delivering clear audio.

For lecture capture, Q-SYS PTZ cameras ensure remote participants have full visibility of sessions, while a Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling Mic captures speech from anywhere in the room without the need for handheld microphones, supporting a natural, free-flowing teaching environment. An Epiphan Pearl device handles lecture capture, sending recordings directly to the University's Panopto cloud platform.

Like in the lecture theatre, audio is captured by Sennheiser TCC2 mic arrays, which pick up speech clearly from anywhere in the room without the need for handheld or lectern-mounted mics, while Q-SYS PTZ cameras track the presenter and frame the room for remote participants. Each space is controlled via a Logitech Tap touch controller integrated within the SALC, and paired with a Lenovo ThinkSmart Core compute unit running Microsoft Teams Rooms. Mounted above the teaching rooms’ whiteboards is a Logitech Scribe, capturing written content for the benefit of those joining remotely.

Lecture capture is again managed via an Epiphan Pearl device, which combines camera video and room audio before sending the feed automatically to the University's Panopto cloud platform.

This standardisation was a deliberate strategic decision with the user experience in mind. Stuart Harris notes: "The main benefit of everything being a Teams Room is that the user interface is the same whichever room you go into. You could go into a lecture theatre, or a seminar room or a meeting space, and every single one of them would be identical."

In addition to the standard-use meeting rooms, a ground-floor boardroom has been integrated for high level executive meetings. A 98" Sharp M-Series display serves as the main display the front of the room, supported by a Q-SYS PTZ camera for intelligent framing during hybrid meetings. Two Q-Lan network speakers deliver clear audio, while Sennheiser TCC2 mics provide audio capture without the need for additional table microphones, preserving the clean, traditional aesthetic of the space.

At the rear of the room, a second Sharp display ensures that all participants, regardless of where they are seated, have a clear sightline to shared content, with a Logitech Rally Bar mounted above providing additional conferencing capabilities for flexibility in how the room is used. The room operates as a fully integrated Microsoft Teams Room, controlled via Logitech Tap, consistent in interface with every other space in the building despite its more formal setting.

Digital signage displays provide wayfinding information in the building’s shared spaces, managed centrally via BrightSign players running NowSignage CMS.

Sustainability was built into the AV infrastructure rather than considered separately. GUDE Expert Power Control PDUs are installed across the building, enabling remote power management and monitoring of connected equipment. Occupancy sensors in every teaching room detect whether a space is in use; if no audio or connected device is present, the room's AV system powers down automatically, reducing energy consumption without any action required from the user.

The Schwarzman Centre is a fully certified Passivhaus building, one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Every element of the building's specification, including its AV infrastructure, was considered with that energy efficiency commitment in mind. All bookable spaces are managed with ease via Logitech Tap Scheduler room booking panels. Scheduling integration means that rooms are only active when bookings exist, while GUDE PDUs enable remote power management and monitoring of equipment.

Phill Camp, Head of Technology at the Humanities Division at the University summarises "I have had people come to me and say, can we get into the Schwarzman? The AV just works. You know you have done well when people are queuing to get into your building because the technology has been labelled as just working."

For a building serving seven faculties, 2,500 staff, public visitors and remote participants simultaneously, the simplicity in the user experience of an AV infrastructure deployed across more than 100 spaces, means that the AV can disappear into the background and let the building do what it was built for.