Hurrairah bin Sohail finds out how engaging in extensive proof of concept activities helped 3CDN and Godrej & Boyce bring Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode’s vision of a ‘microphoneless’ classroom to fruition.
Education spaces have changed drastically and a driving force for this evolution is a change in the approach to technology on the
part of the end user. A perfect
example is the expansion at
Indian Institute of Management
Kozhikode [IIMK] located in the
city of Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
The institute added a new
building complex to its existing
campus as part of a drive to
create modern, essential
learning spaces for its students.
3CDN Workplace Tech was the
design consultant for the project
while the integrator was Godrej
& Boyce. Support was provided
by Shure and its distribution
partner in India, Sun Infonet,
as well as Biamp through the
course of the project.
The brief to 3CDN highlighted
the aims and objectives of IIMK.
Mradul Sharma from 3CDN
details: “IIMK is one of the more
forward-thinking educational
institutes in India and it wanted
to really expand the way students
and teachers interact. One of
the clear statements from the
client was that they wanted a
‘microphoneless’ classroom.”
What exactly does it mean
when you say ‘microphoneless’
classroom? Sharma expands:
“The phrase did not mean that
there would be no microphones
in classrooms. Instead, IIMK
didn’t want the students or the
teachers to wear (or see) the
microphones. They wanted
the experience to be seamless.
As soon as the faculty members
step into the classroom, they
wanted them to be able to
begin teaching without having
a complex interaction with
technology.”
Making technology disappear
is definitely a magic act and
3CDN took up the gauntlet.
Sharma explains how the process
to deliver the ‘microphoneless’
classroom began: “When the
project started in 2017, we were
just beginning to hear about
the capabilities of ceiling
array microphones. I think that
was when the first generation
of products from Shure and
Sennheiser began to reach the
market. We were not certain
whether a ‘microphoneless’
classroom would be possible.
Our first reaction was to let the
client know that what they are
asking for was something that
had not been tested or tried. But
after initial conversations with
the client, we found that they
were willing to participate in
proof of concept activities to
make it possible.”
With the client on board, 3CDN
began work. Sharma says: “Our
starting point was a project we
had completed for a corporate
client in Bangalore, where we
used the Shure MXA910 in a
unique way to provide camera
tracking where different
microphone lobes served as
the trigger for recalling camera
presets. The success that we had
with that project served as the
first step for IIMK. After that, we
had a conversation with Chicco
Hiranandani from Shure who
detailed a project in Dubai
where the Shure MXA910 was
used with Biamp at the backend
to achieve voice lift for a corporate
boardroom. With these two points
to start with I would say we were
60% of the way to creating the
‘microphoneless’ classroom that
the client wanted.”
IIMK’s new building complex
comprises eight learning spaces
of differing sizes. A temporary
classroom approximating the
size and the the features of
the actual classrooms, such
as carpets and furniture,
was created. A range of
‘microphoneless’ classroom
solutions constructed from the
different products available on
the market were then brought
in to be tested.
Sharma says: “We took a lot
of time for proof of concept
activities and the major benefit
for us was to be able to explain
the difference between speech
reinforcement and what the
client wanted. We wanted to
clarify that the solution for
IIMK’s classrooms was going
to be voice lift and not speech
reinforcement, which means that
you will be able to hear someone
further away at a natural level
rather than at a louder level
which is what is achieved with
traditional PA systems.”
Godrej & Boyce’s suggested
solution comprised Shure MXA
microphones and Biamp DSPs.
Sharma says: “While most of the
solutions demonstrated speech
reinforcement Godrej & Boyce’s
proposed solution clearly
demonstrated a voice-lift system
and this set the bar for the
performance we were expecting.”
Regarding the integrator’s
selection, Paul Sooraj K from
Godrej & Boyce says: “With any
government tender, we have to
identify products that are in line
with the specification. For the
proof of concept, we had to prove
that our particular technology
system would work and we also
had to demonstrate that it could
be executed.”
In particular, Godrej & Boyce
believed that the Biamp DSP was
particularly suited for the spaces
at IIMK. Sooraj adds: “We felt
that Biamp would be most
appropriate from the technical
perspective. Biamp DSPs have
individual channel processing
capabilities, whereas the
competitors had a shared pool
of resources and the overall
processing capabilities are
slightly less according to the
technical observations of our
design team. So, from the
technical standpoint we believed
that the Biamp DSP would be
able to address the high level of
noise in the particular classroom.
The noise levels are extremely
high so we felt the need to have
hardware-based solid processing
at the backend which we felt
Biamp would bring to the table
in this scenario.”
After the proof of concept
activities were completed,
Biamp DSPs and Shure MXA910
microphones were chosen as the
audio system for IIMK. Audio
signals are distributed via Dante.
When it came to the display
system, the usage patterns of
IIMK were considered in the
selection process. Panasonic
projectors were chosen to
provide visuals in the various
classrooms. Sharma says: “We
needed approximately 140-in
screens at the front of the
classrooms and LED displays at
that size are not affordable. In
addition, pedagogy followed in
India still includes whiteboards
as a tool for teaching and with
projection we could easily
accommodate both options.”
Sooraj provides further details
regarding how projection was
implemented: “When it came
to the throw distance, the
requirement from the customer
was to make sure that there
would be no shadow cast by the
teacher. The Panasonic projector
comes with an ultra-short throw
inverted lens and this gave us
complete flexibility in terms
of positioning so if a person is
standing even one metre ahead
of the projected visuals, there is
no shadow. The detailing and
the drawings regarding the
projector placement were
extremely precise and clear and
for us as the integrator it was just
a matter of executing the design.”
Video signals are transmitted
via HDBaseT with an Extron DTP
CrossPoint serving as the matrix
for the system. Regarding the
choice of mode for video
transmission, Sharma says: “We
began work on the IIMK project
in 2017. If the project had started
later, say in 2018, we would have
specified AV over IP. We don’t
consider our customers to be
guinea pigs where bleeding-edge
technologies can be tried on
them. When this project started,
AV over IP was not a mature
technology compared to
HDBaseT specifically from
Extron which is a very solid and
stable platform to work on.”
Control is achieved with the
help of Extron IPCP and Extron’s
TLP Pro touch panel. Wacom
22-in monitors are used for
annotation of content.
A broadcast system to allow
proceedings in the new building
to be viewed in other facilities on
the campus has been delivered.
Extron SMP-351 units are used
to record audio and video which
is then sent out via multicast IP
by Wowza.
IIMK has standardised its
conferencing with LifeSize Cloud.
Sooraj from Godrej & Boyce says:
“IIMK was already using LifeSize
as its videoconferencing platform
and they just increased the
number of licenses according to
their requirements. The main
difference is that they moved
from a hardware-based system to
one that is now software-based.”
Sharma details: “With the
previous videoconferencing
OEM the client had support
issues with the product and the
service that was provided and the
improvements around it. They
wanted a conferencing solution
that was easy, and we thought
the best route to that would
be cloud-based. We ended up
using LifeSize and the Extron
MediaPort 200 which is a
gateway and provides a USBinterface for laptops and creates
that seamless experience that
the client wanted.”
Sharma says: “When it came
to wireless collaboration, IIMK
required a system that would
allow the teachers to preview the
content from students and then
be able to put it onto the screen.
The Kramer Via Campus met
these requirements on the dot.”
Regarding the challenges
faced, Sharma says: “During the
tender process, the eight spaces
were meant to be very similar in
size, around 70 people seating
capacity and oval in shape. But
during the course of the project
and its execution the form of
some of the rooms changed.
We ended up with two rooms
with tiered seating when our
original designs were for flat
seating. This meant that we had
to change the designs to achieve
the proper acoustic results.”
Sharma adds: “Price can be a
sticking point in any part of the
world. With government projects,
it is important because they are
investing the taxpayers’ money.
This is why we exercised proof
of concept activities with the
products and paid great attention
to the design. When it came to
the budget, we were able to
convince them with the proof
of concept activities that the
investments in technology that
they were making would be
delivering the results that they
wanted.”
Sooraj from Godrej & Boyce
details: “When we started work,
the classrooms were active which
meant that we had a very small
window of working time to
complete the project on time
and schedule. Godrej & Boyce
deployed additional manpower
to ensure that the timelines
were met. We couldn’t just come
to the site without the proper
preparation because IIMK is at
a remote location which meant
that we didn’t have access to
additional resources. So the
planning on our end was done in
a meticulous way. We stationed
project engineers and a number
of technicians nearby.”
Reviewing the project, Sharma
concludes: “AV over IP would be
the obvious improvement if we
were designing this project today.
And perhaps the spaces could
have benefitted from better
speaker selection. In hindsight,
if we had selected speakers with
narrower angles of coverage, we
could have achieved an increase
in performance (better gain
before feedback). But on the
whole, I think we have achieved
the client’s aim of creating
learning spaces where technology
is an enabler rather than
something that takes centre
stage.”