Teesside University: Digital Life Building

AV featured

ViewSonic ViewBoards

ViewSonic gaming and PC monitors

Q-SYS audio and networked control

Yealink Microsoft Teams Rooms

HyperVSN holographic display

Proto hologram display

​​​​​​​Audio visual case study​​​​​​​

Teesside University’s new Digital Life building marks a major milestone in the University’s commitment to a responsible and sustainable digital future, providing state-of-the art teaching and learning facilities for their highly ranked School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies.

This innovative new facility brings together cutting-edge teaching environments, experimental labs and collaborative digital spaces under one roof, providing a future-ready infrastructure for students across a range of disciplines.

Teesside University Digital Life Building​​​​​​​

GVAV were appointed to deliver some of the most technically demanding audio visual elements of this landmark project, working closely with the University and other specialist integrators to curate a cohesive experience across multiple high-performance spaces all within an exceptionally tight five-week schedule. The product supply and installation work in these key spaces contributed to the success of this project as Education Project of the Year at the AV Magazine Awards 2025.

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Events Space

A central feature of Digital Life is its impressive 750-seat auditorium. With retractable tiered seating, this space can be used as a traditional auditorium or flat floor event space to accommodate everything from academic lectures, to public events and hybrid presentations.

To support the versatility required from this flagship venue, GVAV supplied and installed a comprehensive Q-SYS audio and networked control system, at the heart of which sits a Q-SYS Core 610 processor supported by amplifiers and line array loudspeakers to deliver clear, evenly distributed sound throughout the space.

Q-SYS pendant speakers extend this coverage for consistent audio quality, while Q-SYS touchscreens with a GVAV-designed GUI provide intuitive control of the whole system for the benefit of university staff and presenters.

The space is also equipped with a wireless Sennheiser microphone system for dependable voice reinforcement and hybrid audio capture for both in-room and remote participants. The combination of these elements allows the space to operate reliably as a hybrid-ready teaching and events environment, with a consistent user experience and a simplified control model.

Teesside University event space

Located outside the flexible teaching space, a HyperVSN spinning hologram displays 3D-like moving images in mid-air. This serves as a distinctive digital focal point for visitors and reinforces the technological ambition of the Digital Life building.

Teesside University

Digital Commons

Digital Life’s Digital Commons serves as a dynamic social and collaborative space where students can engage with digital media, informal study activities and emerging interactive technologies.

GVAV supported the University’s vision for this space by delivering a full audio system and Q-SYS integration, enabling seamless control and distribution of sound throughout the area.

On entering the Digital Commons, visitors are greeted by a Proto Hologram unit that has the capacity to deliver lifelike, full-scale 3D content, creating an immediate point of engagement and setting the tone for an immersive digital experience.

Teesside University Digital Life​​​​​​​

Elsewhere, a Cyberith Virtualizer VR treadmill introduces immersive simulation, allowing students to engage with different virtual environments with a full-body experience.

In contrast to these highly immersive technologies, Digital Life also incorporates a dedicated Digital Detox Room, designed to offer students a place to step away from screens and disconnect from technology. Mounted on the underside of the suspended room is an LED display adding a dramatic moving visual element that further enhances the atmosphere and encourages experimental learning and exploration.

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Games Lab

A new Games Lab offers an advanced learning environment underpinned by an ambitious technical design. Working alongside XMA, GVAV supplied and installed an AV system designed to support an 80-seat teaching space, which is divisible into two separate 40-seat rooms to suit different pedagogical requirements.

Dual Yealink MVC S90 Microsoft Teams Room systems provide full hybrid functionality for seamless collaboration between in-room and external participants, as well as allowing for digital content sharing between students and tutors. When the dividing wall is opened, the system can reconfigure to operate as a single, unified space under a master control mode.

The Yealink MVC S90 bundle includes Yealink’s MCore 4 mini-PC running Teams Rooms, an MTouch Plus 11.6-inch touch panel for room control, and multiple UVC86 dual-lens 4K PTZ cameras. Together, the cameras provide AI-driven speaker tracking, auto-framing and intelligent multi-camera switching for more natural meeting views.

The system incorporates lighting control to add to the immersive qualities of the space, while Sony PTZ cameras, Sennheiser ceiling microphones and Q-SYS video endpoints work together to capture high-quality audio and video throughout the room. This infrastructure provides a professional-grade esports environment for live demonstrations, game testing and recorded sessions to be shared across multiple platforms. Two Unicol-mounted 98” Sony displays provide 4K visuals for the room’s participants, ensuring that every student has a clear, direct view of the content being presented.

This space offers students access to an environment that mirrors industry practice, giving them the best environment to develop, test and meet in a robust, future-ready space.

Wider Technology Integration

ViewSonic display technology supplied via GVAV features heavily throughout Digital Life as the preferred option for teaching and learning PC monitors, signage displays and interactive touch screen displays.

Teesside University Digital Life Building

Chosen for their display quality and refresh rate, ViewSonic gaming monitors have been supplied into the Games Lab, while 51 Series ViewBoard displays are mounted on trolleys throughout the building, acting as ‘mobile Microsoft Teams Rooms’ for one-touch access to online meetings and as an interactive teaching aid.

Teesside University Digital Life Building

Beyond the primary teaching and event environments, GVAV have further strengthened the University’s digital infrastructure by supplying a range of specialist technologies that enhance the building’s character and support its pedagogical aims. ViewSonic PC monitors supplied into the teaching labs provide reliable and consistent display technology to support learning.

Within the Games Corner, an arcade machine has been supplied by GVAV to give the building a fun and social element, offering an informal, playful touchpoint while reflecting the digital theme running through the building.

Teesside University Digital Life Building​​​​​​​

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A Digital Campus Built for the Future

Digital Life demonstrates Teesside University’s commitment to leveraging high-performance, future-proofed AV and immersive technologies to improve learning outcomes, while engaging students in emerging digital disciplines.

As a new build, this project required multiple contractors to work in parallel, with efficient communication and organisation being paramount to meet tight deadlines. GVAV’s Sales and Technical teams were able to leverage a wealth of experience locally to manage the project and work effectively with other collaborators to bring this project together.

The technology delivered within the new Digital Life building creates a modern digital learning environment for students and supports the University’s continued success, including recognition in 2025 as The Times Higher Education ‘University of the Year’, Daily Mail ‘Modern University of the Year’, and most recently ‘Education Project of the Year’ at the AV Awards.

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“The Digital Life project was a significant challenge, as it was executed at a serious pace; the fit-out for the entire building was completed in just five weeks. The speed and agile nature of the project necessitated working with multiple integrators, which increased the overall complexity. This effort all seems worthwhile now, however, after we were awarded Education Project of the Year at the AV Magazine Awards 2025.

GVAV is very much a trusted partner, and we were pleased that they managed to win the contracts for some of the most complex elements of the project. GVAV provided window processing, control, and audio in our event space - a 750-seat auditorium - as well as audio and a HyperVSN hologram wall in our Digital Commons area. Furthermore, they handled the full AV kit-out of our games design and esports labs, which consist of 80 seats and can be converted into dual 40-seat spaces with lighting control and Microsoft Teams integration.

The company's professionalism, can-do attitude, and willingness to work in partnership with the university and alongside the builders Wates towards common goals really stood out. GVAV were as committed to hitting our deadlines as we were and a big part of our success in the AV Awards.”

Paul Wilson

Head of the Digital Campus at Teesside University

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