Goethe University Frankfurt modernized its academic spaces in record time with Crestron solutions.
General description
How did your team learn about this project and at what stage of development were you brought in?
Thanks to the long-standing cooperation between Goethe University Frankfurt and BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH, our media technology team already met the necessary quality standards to fulfill the high demands placed on the media technology systems for the project. Thanks to continuous market observation and above-average customer proximity, our team quickly became aware of the award procedure and dedicated itself to it with great commitment.
Had you worked with this customer previously?
In the course of the eighteen years of successful co-operation with Goethe University Frankfurt, BFE has been able to prove itself in both the project and delivery business and has repeatedly demonstrated its value.
What other design teams were involved? Describe the collaboration among those groups.
The most important project stakeholders included Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, represented by the Media Technology Department of the University Centre, the specialist planning office Hartmann, Mathias und Partner, and BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH in the role of the AV system integrator. The collaboration was characterized by clear communication and mutual trust.
What was the goal?
The aim of the project was to equip the buildings for psychology, educational sciences, and social sciences (PEG), as well as the presidium and administration (PA) of Goethe University Frankfurt, with audio-visual equipment as part of the large-scale refurbishment of the buildings.
The project objectives focused on modernizing the multimedia equipment in around 61 seminar rooms using smart control systems. The rooms in question in the PEG and PA buildings included video conference rooms, the PA foyer as an event area, and the Senate Hall.
The focus of the objective was the creation of high flexibility and scalability in the course of hybrid learning and collaborative working approaches. Depending on the connectivity of the devices brought along, smart content distribution was to enable direct connection to the permanently installed system, consisting of a microphone system and cameras.
The possibility of ad hoc hybrid teaching was intended to give both students and professors greater creative freedom in their teaching assignments and prepare future graduates for the modern working world. Even the large-screen display in the Senate Hall in the form of an LED wall was designed to connect to mobile devices for video conferencing purposes, supported by permanently mounted ceiling microphones. Swiveling cameras were included to enhance the hybrid video conferencing experience, using Crestron DM NVX AV-over-IP streaming technologies and sophisticated DANTE audio network technology.
The challenge
How did your team deliver on those requirements?
The media technology renovation in the PEG and PA buildings was successfully completed in just five weeks. Thanks to meticulous coordination and excellent execution, the customer's expectations were not only met but exceeded. The following letter of recommendation testifies to the customer's enthusiasm:
Goethe University Frankfurt and the university computer center renovate existing buildings every year. With these investments, GU aims to remain one of the leading teaching institutions in Germany. In many of these projects, Goethe University has been working with BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH on a basis of trust for years. BFE is often responsible not only for the realization but also for the preliminary planning of the services. Goethe University can rely on BFE because the projects are often very time-critical and require a high degree of professionalism and flexibility. Probably the most complex and largest refurbishment project, the renovation of the PEG and PA buildings on the Westend campus, was successfully completed in October 2023 with the start of the winter semester.
Within 5 weeks, BFE converted 62 seminar and meeting rooms, the PA foyer as an event area, and the Senate Hall of the Presidential Board. BFE not only has a large media technology department with competent employees but also other trades in-house, such as mechanics or carpentry.
Did your team add any additional features to the system as the project developed?
By implementing state-of-the-art AVoIP AVC streaming transmitter links, high-resolution video was transported within the buildings via standard Gigabit Ethernet without any noticeable latency or loss of quality.
Integrative wall-mounted touch screens allow for comprehensive connectivity options, supporting both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections and can also be connected via PoE+ for easy installation. The user-
friendly operation of the rooms is supported by the display of streaming video and the use of in-built web browsers. The signal feed was realized via AV desk connection panels and an FT2 Series cable management system, FlipTop FT2 Series. This highly modular desk connectivity solution is customizable and offers users intuitive options through the supplied drop-in modules. AVC transformer sets, HMI matrix switches, and control processors provide the basis for a highly functional control project in addition to high-end content distribution.
Were there any bumps in the road? How did your team overcome those?
The installation of the media technology systems was scheduled for the end of the 2023/24 winter semester, taking into account the ongoing study programme, so that the new media technology equipment could be used at the start of the semester.
In this context, the project realisation was accompanied by both time and technical challenges, which the BFE team overcame with flying colours. As part of the impeccable project coordination, time bottlenecks were identified in good time and efficiently counteracted by a scalable increase in resources.
All in all, the media technology modernisation in the PEG and PA building was successfully completed in just five weeks. The technical challenges included the extensive connection of the AV infrastructure to the extensive network of the Goethe University Frankfurt, including the interaction with the audio distribution via the DANTE audio network. Our team was able to efficiently overcome the linking of various video conference codecs to the media technology systems with a great deal of effort.
The solution
What made Crestron the right fit for this project?
Goethe University Frankfurt has relied on the high quality of Crestron products for several years. True to the motto ‘Never change a running system’, Crestron technology has proven its robustness and reliability over many years.
Why did you select the solutions you did?
In accordance with the technical requirements of the client and the planner, the manufacturer Crestron and its products in the area of signal distribution and control have proven to be particularly robust and reliable. The possibility of internal networking, real-time monitoring and the connection to the existing network of the Goethe University Frankfurt predestined Crestron products to be used in reliable university operations in the future.
What was the result of the experience delivered to your client?
The collaboration between BFE and Goethe University Frankfurt over several years has been characterised by predominantly positive experiences. The university has already experienced significant added value through
the installation of state-of-the-art media technology for regular university operations as a result of previous system integrations. As a result, it was an extremely challenging project, which was successfully completed thanks to the highly committed team. The solution-orientated way of working during the execution of the project stood out in particular, which contributed to the rapid resolution of any problems that arose. The co- operation of all those involved and the willingness to tackle every task made a valuable contribution to the motivation of the project managers and the stakeholders involved in the project.
How is the system commonly used?
Audiovisual communication technology is used in the context of teaching at Goethe University Frankfurt in terms of high-reach content distribution. State-of-the-art streaming and content sharing technologies give both professors and students the opportunity to intuitively incorporate digital teaching content into the course.
The largely existing Cat and fibre-based cabling infrastructure is used to transmit both audio and video signals from the source to the sink almost in real time. AVoIP components from the manufacturer Crestron are predominantly used at the network nodes. In addition to the centralised positioning of various control and signal distribution systems, central recording systems were also provided to enable students to participate in courses remotely.
What has been the biggest benefit for the client?
A significant advantage for the customer was the high level of vertical integration of BFE. In the context of the Senate Hall and its LED wall, BFE was able to set itself apart from the competition with its internally manufactured table system and LED wall design.
Among other things, the on-site production also involved adapting lecturers' tables to the new equipment, which also included the integration of state-of-the-art 10- inch touch panels from Crestron. The audio and video signals were fed in via intuitively operated AV connection panels and AV terminals. The almost self-explanatory graphical user interface enables even inexperienced users to intuitively and flexibly support and convey their teaching content using digital means. Hybrid learning and teaching is supported both in the Senate Hall and in the seminar rooms by several large format displays, PTZ cameras and modern Crestron streaming technology.
How do these solutions enhance the work at the client’s workplace?
Regardless of time and space, the improved technology can be used for live presentations on site or for recording purposes for time-delayed learning and follow-up of teaching content. Video conferencing solutions enable a far greater number of students to have the opportunity to build knowledge and achieve their study objectives.
The category
What makes this project unique from others you have completed in the past?
Due to the networks set up on site for control, AV streaming, Audio Dante and AVB, the project differed in technical terms due to the close coordination with Campus IT at Goethe University Frankfurt, which manages and maintains the network infrastructure. The audiovisual communication technology had to be integrated
during the lecture-free periods and, if necessary, during deviating periods, taking into account the regular study programme. Due to the resulting high demands on implementation planning and coordination, the project represents a pioneering achievement for stringent time and project management for BFE.
Are there any “wow” worthy elements?
As soon as you enter the Senate Hall, the eyes of the beholder are truly wide open. It contains an LED wall, a sound system and Crestron AV signal technology to realise the transmission and processing of wireless and wired microphone signals, video content and TCP/IP signals.
Floor boxes ensure flexible connectivity for the technology installed in lecterns and co-show displays. The PTZ cameras intended for image recording provide the overall setting of the course as well as separate image settings for hybrid web conferences.
Controls are realised via wired 10’ touch panels from Crestron. The Mitschau displays were mounted on various furniture systems and positioned and aligned in the centre of the new table system.
The voice recording of the participants within the web conferences is realised via ceiling array microphones. The ‘wow’ effect of the large- screen reproduction is realised by LED video wall modules, which were installed via a substructure for wall mounting.
