Ground floor redevelopment

The audio-only redevelopments on the ground floor are subtle but complementary to the grandeur of the building’s interior aesthetic. The McCall MacBain (formerly Milner) Hall, the largest of the floor’s function rooms, is decorated with illustrious tall windows, oak floors, marble fireplaces and portraits of famous figures.

With versatile layout options to accommodate a capacity of up to 200 people, this room serves as a function room for large-scale events and presentations. As such, the equipment installed needed to be adaptable to different conditions and purposes, with new users able to walk into the space and begin using the equipment intuitively.

Above: Spot the speakers. Image: Fisher Studios, Oxford

Logistical challenges of undertaking destructive alterations to a Grade II* listed building were overcome by selecting discreet and lightweight solutions for these spaces.

In the McCall MacBain Hall, as well as the smaller Beit and Atlantic function rooms, slim line-array Yamaha Dante speakers are discreetly installed, providing abundant audio for everybody in attendance whilst respecting the original aesthetic with an unobtrusive design. These speakers are linked to Shure lapel mics, handheld mics and transceivers, which facilitate portability and allow the presenter to be heard in each space.

The historical significance of the building and the preservation of the listed architecture were top priorities throughout the installation stage of the project on the ground floor.

When not showing a running slideshow of Rhodes Trust media, the screens are set up to display a live feed from the adjacent Convening Hall, allowing those outside to see and hear a conference whilst networking or socialising.

With a capacity of up to 300 people, the 253m² Convening Hall is the ultimate modern conferencing suite that can be sub-divided into three smaller rooms for full flexibility. The centrepiece of this space is a striking 6x3m Samsung double LED wall, which acts as the main presenting display for the room. A smaller 3x3m Samsung LED wall is fitted at the East end of the room.

Above: 6x3m Samsung LED video wall

Technological advances and falling costs have meant that LED is becoming an increasingly embraced solution for presentation and digital signage integrations. The benefits of LED were clear, Samsung’s 1.5mm fine pitch modular IER series was chosen to provide bright and crisp visuals, required to compete with the overhead lights and facing window.

From a sustainability point of view, the panels that make up the display have an expected lifespan of around 100,000 hours, making this a very efficient long-term solution for the space.

On top of this, the modular nature of the product means that individual cabinets can be replaced over time in the unlikely event of failure, saving money and reducing wastage and, in turn, the building’s carbon footprint.

Above: Custom lectern from Avenue Furniture

In front of the large LED display, a bespoke height-adjustable Avenue Furniture lectern matching the room’s aesthetic features a 24” LITEMAX LCD display bar.

This is easily configurable to show the logo and branding of whoever is using the space.

Integrated into the top of the lectern is a 19” Beetronics comfort monitor, chosen as a perfect companion for the presenter for its anti-reflective matte display, vibrant colours and 178° viewing angles

As well as the two LED video walls, the room has three 98” 4K NEC Multisync C981Q displays chosen for their brightness and anti-haze features to further avoid distracting reflections, ensuring optimal visibility.

Yamaha VXL line array speakers are discreetly installed either side of the displays, which are built in flush to the wood panelled walls.

Regardless of the set-up of the room for any type of function, nobody is too far from a high-quality display with premium sound thanks to the AV design.

"A few years ago we would have considered QSC for primarily audio solutions. As they started to bring in control elements and device integration into their portfolio it has become a truly holistic solution - one platform that does everything. You then bring the Wolfvision into this as well, giving us the ability to manipulate the content on each display."

Stuart Harris | Technical Sales Manager, GVAV

A total of 14 versatile Q-SYS NV-32-H devices are deployed across the system acting as encoders and decoders, transforming signals from inputs for the display network. Q-SYS amplifiers, ceiling speakers, PTZ cameras and Core DSP integrate seamlessly with high-end performance, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently.

The building’s first all-Q-SYS control system makes for effortless ease of use with minimal training required for end users. The functional front-end gives full control with an intuitive drag and drop design. For Rhodes House’s AV team, the flexibility of the system will open up the potential to change or make additions to the kit where applicable in-house.

Back on the ground, portable Shure handheld and lapel microphones allow speakers to be heard clearly throughout the space and on broadcast.

Being able to capture and transmit video from the room was an important initial project requirement set out by the client. Reflecting the international nature of the Rhodes Scholarship in a new interconnected world ever-moving towards collaborative hybrid and remote solutions, this new conferencing space needed to not only open Rhodes House up to a global audience, but also greatly expand the opportunities and event types the Trust are able to offer.

Expectedly, global supply chain volatility at the time meant that some kit was not always available immediately. This was overcome by good planning, early ordering and supply chain engagement in advance and tapping into a long-standing relationship with suppliers such as Audiologic to ensure GVAV had priority allocations wherever possible to deliver the project in good time.

Above: Convening Hall. Image: Fisher Studios, Oxford

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"The listed building status, COVID and supply chain issues led to this being a particularly complex project to sequence and deliver. The project hugely benefitted from GVAV’s relationships with suppliers and distributors and focussed supply chain management. Equipment and people were on site, on time for each of our key milestones."

Matt Treavis | IT Director, Rhodes Trust

The main display for the venue is a Chief-mounted 86” NEC C861Q large format display which is built into custom wooden housing that can be opened or closed depending on the needs of the event.

Above: Q-SYS control panel

Once again, connectivity options were at the forefront of the requirements for this space, and content to the display can be fed by several different inputs, all controlled by a Q-SYS control panel mounted on the adjacent wall.

The WolfVision Cynap Core Pro allows end users to wirelessly show content from their own device and join meetings with ease.

Audio input for the space comes from Shure portable microphones and a gooseneck mic integrated with the lectern, while Yamaha speakers at the front of the building provide the output.

This culminates in a modern, sophisticated new space for business meetings, smaller conferences and even ceremonial events like weddings with its bright and airy surroundings. Complemented by a range of room layout options, the audio visual integrations give the Garden Pavilion a dynamism that makes it a sufficiently equipped, desirable and contemporary venue.

Above: Rhodes House's new glass garden pavilion

Extending reality

The LED and AVoIP integrations alone are a clear indicator of intent at Rhodes House. Renovated with tomorrow in mind from top to bottom, the building is equipped for a global world with interconnectivity at its heart, pushing the boundaries of technological innovation in the process.

There is no better example of this pioneering spirit than the House’s brand new XR Lab, a contemporary space to explore the capabilities of virtual and extended reality. As we move into an age of the lines being increasingly blurred between digital and real life, this exhibition room enables fellows and scholars to experiment with this emerging technology and notions of the metaverse.

Laced with the latest immersive tech, this futuristic collaborative space is in direct contrast with the carefully preserved traditionally-styled Oxford function rooms upstairs. As such, the client requirement for the Lab was markedly different with an emphasis on futuristic integrations befitting of the nature of the space.

Above: Rhodes House's XR Lab

The room’s peripherals run over an AVoIP system, facilitating dynamic content sharing and future-proofed scalability. Even as cutting-edge technologies evolve, the XR Lab is unlikely to outgrow its audio visual network any time soon as the flexible Q-SYS system enables infinite expansion possibilities. New inputs and outputs can be integrated as required with ease, eliminating the need for full regenerations of the AV infrastructure.

Q-SYS NV-32-H units act as decoders and encoders, whilst the Q-SYS touch panel gives end users full control of the system’s peripherals. Audio on the network is driven by Q-SYS SPA multichannel amps, an Extron Surround Sound Processor and a total of eight Monitor Audio wall speakers.

Above: DTEN D7X

Mounted on a Heckler AV Cart, a DTEN D7X all-in-one unit is integrated in the Lab, adding video conferencing capability to the plethora of technology at end users’ disposal.

The D7X’s 4K wide-angle camera and 15 mic array help connect the XR Lab to the outside world with ease via Teams, while USB-C and wireless options allow BYOD simplicity.

Facilitated by its comprehensive audio visual integration, this new vibrant and tech-infused lab will become a vital hub for collaboration, exhibition and presentation as one of Rhodes House’s signature spaces.

The powerful all-in-one Logitech Rally Bar offers 4K capture for video calls, as well as a host of other features including pan and tilt, an AI viewfinder and up to 5x optical zoom. With Grid View, Speaker View or Group View display options, video calls become immersive and more engaging for those in the room and joining remotely. Audio is captured and relayed with crystal clarity by the Rally Bar’s six beamforming microphones and two speakers.

Above: Logitech Rally Bar

Mounted to the room’s table, a Logitech Tap touch controller makes connecting to a video call effortless with seamless connectivity with the Rally Bar, as well as calendar integration and content sharing. A wall-mounted Logitech Scribe captures content directly from the room’s whiteboard, bringing remote participants into the meeting like never before.

Each meeting space can be reserved and managed remotely thanks to a Joan room booking system, integrating seamlessly with Rhodes House’s chosen calendar provider.

Backlit Joan 6 Pro panels are fitted outside each bookable space, displaying room availability and upcoming meeting information in real-time. The minimalist e-paper wireless displays are a sustainable, user-friendly product choice for room management.

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Above: Joan Room Booking Panels

Coming into a project that was already underway and rapidly evolving, GVAV worked closely with both Hewshott and the client, keeping lines of communication open at all times and drawing on a wealth of internal experience to help fine-tune the plan and make design changes. Flexibility was integral to the success of the project, and weekly status meetings on building progress and product supply were held to ensure frictionless collaboration.

Working with other contractors and suppliers with effective communication was essential to the success of this project and ensuring each space was delivered on time. Collaboratively, bespoke solutions were curated for the unique requirements of each space, while taking into account important considerations such as the building’s listed status.

Alongside the preservation of the site’s heritage, the renovated Rhodes House embraces new and emerging technologies to create fluid, user friendly environments for both business and pleasure. Modern, scalable and forward-thinking systems have been put in place to future-proof the House to serve trustees, fellows, scholars and the local community for many years to come.