With up to 35,000 people on-site at any one time, the University felt the need for an upgraded security and incident monitoring system. Installation began a year ago within a new building at the heart of the University's campus, and the system receives images from more than
200 on-site, as well as monitoring access control data.

The centre is managed by Gary Jackson, chief security officer at Southampton University, with design and installation by Dave Andrews, controls manager. The centre is designed to be run by three operators plus a supervisor, each of whom can be working up to 12-hour shifts.

"The centrepiece of the room is a main visual display comprising six 50-inch rear-projection cubes, arranged as a 3 x 2 matrix," explains Dave 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"

The control room console was designed, manufactured and installed to provide a four man operating facility. "As well as monitor positions, we also wanted a certain amount of filing and drawer-type space, so Gresham Wood also designed and manufactured matching furniture storage units," continues Dave Andrews.

Also controlled from the video wall is a further 50-inch TFT screen in a separate incident room, and Gresham also designed the furniture here. "In the event of a major incident such as a fire," says Dave Andrews, "telephonists can be brought in and incident information can be posted onto the wall for an overview, so the design of the room has also had to take that eventuality into account"

George Rutson, Director, Gresham Wood Technical Furniture & Design, adds: "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. The control room complies with the ISO 11064 standard for the Ergonomic Design of Control Centres, as well as with the relevant DDA standards"