Building the future of aviation - DARTeC
Cranfield University has built a new research facility called DARTeC (The Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre) – where experts simulate and test airport experiences to define the way we travel.
DARTeC - Re-imagining the aviation sector
As part of the wider project, Cranfield University has also partnered with GVAV, PSCo and Midwich to elevate the building and create show-stopping LED wall installations.
Choosing to partner with Midwich and PSCo was a no-brainer. We chose to partner with them for the LED requirement that we're able to review and validate our LED design. They also offered a quality LED installation service which provided us with further reassurance of our design being implemented successfully.
- Sukh Basi, Sales Manager at GVAV
To unlock the potential of future travel via powerful technologies and collaboration, the DARTeC facility is setting a new standard in aviation research and development.
The Challenge
The aviation sector has been undergoing a digital transformation. The global air transport sector is becoming increasingly complex, facing multiple challenges. Considering imminent challenges posed by climate change, DARTeC researchers are working to help the UK reach its target of net-zero carbon emission. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has added another dimension to the challenges the aviation sector is trying to address.
DARTeC facility is unique within Cranfield University but also the wider education space. Built for research and collaboration purposes, to facilitate in-house and remote partnerships, the building needed an easy and efficient system that could integrate all the elements.
One of the key parts of the project we were asked to deliver as an IT department was to ensure that the building came alive. Part of that coming alive is the ability to display, on the scale, what’s going on inside and outside the building.
– Edward Poll, Head of IT Infrastructure at Cranfield University
Driving digital aviation through innovation, the DARTeC research facility was set to be a hub for supporting the industry with world-class research that influences the next generation of flights and ensures a seamless journey. In partnership with PSCo and Midwich, GVAV was able to support the project and provide LED solutions that were as unique as the building itself.
The Solution
To bring the building to life and give it a wow factor, the DARTeC team has partnered with its long-term AV supplier – GVAV. To support the project with all the necessary LED requirements, PSCo and Midwich were an obvious addition. PSCo allowed both GVAV and Cranfield University to go through a rigid R&D process, seeing the best LED solutions in real life at Innovation House.
Innovation House features the UK’s largest multi-brand experience centre, showcasing more than 200 world-leading audio-visual (AV), Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C), broadcast, smart home, and rental solutions from 50 world-renowned manufacturers all under one roof. GVAV was able to fully utilise the space with the support of PSCo’s expert LED team, helping DARTeC to find the right solution and make an informed decision.
At Innovation House, we really focus on delivering validated systems. That’s everything from source to display and everything that sits in between. From AV infrastructure, we want to support your projects, we want to support you with LED choices but most importantly we want to ensure that A + B + C work together and they work on-site the first time.
– Graham Pow, Sales Manager at PSCo.
It was established that the Samsung I-ER LED wall would provide that and also allow for a greater canvas for content to be displayed and shared across the building.
The project set to make the DARTeC facility a showpiece building not only for the university but as an aviation-based research facility. I-ER series LED displays added a level of showstopping quality to the space through industry-leading picture refinement technologies, delivering clearer and more realistic content. The flexible installation allowed DARTeC to elevate its environment hassle-free.
Samsung offered truly unique features such as superior image quality, HRD, tone mapping and dynamic peaking. Brand recognition and flexible installation options also played an important role in choosing their LED solutions. The Samsung I-ER 1.5mm LED display was chosen for two videowalls as it reflected the requirements and hit the brief set by the DARTeC team.
The Cranfield University project was the perfect project for us to be involved in, not only from the early stages but also knowing we at Samsung had an LED product that was going to provide the client with exactly what they needed.
– Steve Grundy, B2B Channel Manager at Samsung.
Samsung worked closely with professional mount manufacturer Peerless-AV to ensure smooth and straightforward project delivery.
Through SEAMLESS by Peerless-AV, the company’s dvLED Video Wall Integration Program, an expert team designed and delivered dedicated dvLED Mounting Systems for Samsung’s IE015R + IE015R-F LED display series. Peerless-AV’s SEAMLESS Kitted Series Flat dvLED Mounting System offers the highest level of Z-adjustment to help overcome installation irregularities. It also features a slim, space-saving, and aesthetically appealing design with integrated cable management, easy-hang hardware, and a lightweight aluminium frame, enabling GVAV’s installation team to build the perfect videowall quickly and easily.
Peerless-AV’s LED team has years of experience in delivering complex and challenging LED projects in partnership with Samsung globally, and so they had the specialist handling skills and installation techniques necessary for the Cranfield installation.
The Result
Within this project, two feature videowalls were installed. The reception area videowall (2.8m by 2.7m) greets the visitors, researchers and partners. Its aspect ratio is quite unusual, being 1:1, but creates a great first impression entering the building. The largest videowall is 7.2m wide by almost 3m displayed in the main area. This is the first IER deployment within the university campus and one of the first within the UK.
For such a state-the-art, showpiece facility, the two dvLED video walls needed to exceed all expectations. Our mounting system was fundamental to ensuring the design was implemented successfully and we worked closely with the Samsung, GVAV and PSCo teams to deliver a straightforward installation.
– Tom Fenton, Senior Business Development Manager at EMEA, Peerless-AV.
DARTeC building has set a high standard in the aviation sector, building the future of air travel. For DARTeC, innovation is the main driving factor, aspiring to do better, to allow open collaboration and communication with both businesses and governments but also unlocking the potential of individuals and organisations.
From the feedback we’ve been given, both from the staff, the students and the general experience, this facility has turned out exceptionally well. We’re really pleased with what’s been delivered.
– Edward Poll, Head of IT Infrastructure at Cranfield University.
Through the establishment of the DARTeC facility, the university created a unique community of research practitioners that can work together and create world-class research to support the industry with digital aviation research.
It’s a unique workspace, it’s an environment that we’ve never worked in before. Cranfield University has been an exciting project, we are pleased to deliver it with our partners GVAV.
– Steve Grundy, B2B Channel Manager at Samsung.
The new showstopping building addresses the complexities of the modern world and specifically the global aviation sector, focusing on sustainability through digitisation and technology.