It's not often that we write about individual jobs but a recent installation in London seemed worthy.
When we were contacted back in June, Preston Manor Lower School were looking for a "high tech projector system" for their growing number of autistic children. The room had to remain as a part-time functioning classroom so the soft play padding that you'd usually find in a sensory room couldn't be included, and any pieces of equipment had to be as unobtrusive as possible. This meant that the traditional bubble tube was swapped with a bubble wall, and coloured spotlights replaced with LED strips to provide a colourful wash over the walls.
With only two days to provide a quotation, we promoted a system based on the strength of our Ensemble interactive sensory room controller. It was the combination of wireless sensors and Xbox controllers that caught the eye of the school, and the design of the space was best described as a cross between an interactive light and sound room, and a multi sensory room.
When visiting later in the year I took a few photos for our records, but we were able to use them to mock up what the room would look like. It turned out nicer than a 3D CAD drawing as it's easier for everyone to visualise, including the clutter!
Visualisation of the Preston Manor School interactive light, sound, and sensory room.
While plans had to change due to the location of the newly installed projector, the overall effect was just as we'd hoped. By moving the LED lighting to face upwards the entire room now changes colour, rather than just the walls.
The finished interactive light, sound, and sensory room
As many cables as possible were kept in the existing trunking, and special faceplates were installed to handle the connections from the computer. The result is a very neat finish, one that can easily fulfil both uses of the classroom, and one that we're proud of.
