The University of Westminster educates roughly 19,000 students at its four London campuses. The university is an attractive force to a diverse new generation of learners, recently named as one of the top 100 most international universities in the world, teaching students from 169 different nationalities.

One of the university’s major areas of study is the school of computer science and engineering, supporting fields in data science, software engineering, games development, and business information systems.

Challenge

In the school of computer science and engineering, the learning environment needed a complete overhaul. Beyond the outdated technology, the design of this lab prevented students and lecturers from utilizing the space to its fullest potential, limiting educational outcomes.

The new space needed to attract new students to the University of Westminster’s School of Computer Science and Engineering Innovation Space with its high-tech capabilities while also being a highly flexible space to foster student collaboration, facilitate showcase events, and enable interactive learning sessions.

Also, this project was important for the campus, not only to satisfy their immediate needs, but the project functioned as a pilot room for other projects at the university. The refurbishment and consolidation of these outdated computer labs would create a new space called the Center of Innovation, a place for current students and prospective students alike. If successfully executed, other rooms would follow this design throughout the campus.

With the initial needs of the university understood, Leviton provided site visits, product assistance, reassurance of performance, and site inspections to develop the network architecture that would meet the needs of the Center of Innovation.

In cable trays along the ceilings, Cat 6A U/FTP Cca green cable provided connectivity throughout the space. Additionally, 10GPlus Cat 6A Shielded Tool-Free Jacks, 24-Port Snap-In Jack Panel, and 0.5U C6a panel seamlessly connected computers and displays, even tying in the lectern area to allow lecturers to present in a fully interactive way. Through the groundbreaking application AV over IP, the lecturer can control what is shared with different tables of students, split into groups by color, at the touch of a screen.

The new sound system and lighting can be adjusted based on the occasion. The prominent innovation space is now capable of switching its use between a 40-seat programming lab for group work, to a collaborative working space where Leviton cabling and connectivity enables a cutting-edge, and interactive learning experience for today’s computing and science students.

Peter Crouch, network engineer at the university, had used Leviton cabling and connectivity for previous projects. The primary reason he reached out to his Leviton sales manager about building the right network infrastructure was the proven and trusted relationship he had with the company

The relationship was key on this project, with Leviton sales teams going the extra mile with the customer. With full manufacturing capability in the U.K., Leviton produces cables and connectivity to supply its customers with the full end-to-end system from one manufacturer as opposed to buying from a supplier in China. Leviton’s Glenrothes, Scotland location is also third-party verified carbon neutral since 2011, making a sustainable difference in network solutions.

“With Leviton, I know I’ll get a high-quality solution,” Crouch said. “More importantly, I know I can rely on experts who will respond right away, whether it’s product assistance, site inspection, or troubleshooting. That relationship is critical.”

With the use of high-quality and high-spec products, flawless installation, and tireless customer support, Leviton embedded the Center of Innovation with infrastructure to future-proof the University of Westminster for years to come.