Client details:
Site: www.westminster.org.uk
Sector: Education
Size: 750 pupils, 105 staff
Where: UK, London
Westminster School and entrustIT have worked together for many years with excellent results.”
Westminster School
Global leaders in facilities management
Westminster School is one of the UK’s most historic and academically prestigious independent schools, located within the precincts of Westminster Abbey in the heart of London. Its origins can be traced back over a thousand years to the monastic school of the Abbey, with formal re-foundation by Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. The school educates pupils aged 13 to 18 and has a long-standing reputation for academic excellence, consistently achieving outstanding examination results and preparing students for entry to leading universities in the UK and internationally.
Steeped in tradition, Westminster School has educated numerous notable alumni, including politicians, writers, scientists, and public figures, among them several Prime Ministers. The school occupies a unique campus that blends historic buildings such as College Hall and the medieval cloisters with modern educational facilities. Alongside its rigorous academic programme, Westminster places strong emphasis on music, sport, and co-curricular activities, fostering intellectual curiosity, independence of thought, and leadership within a setting that is both culturally and historically significant.
The challenge
Westminster School identified the need to refresh the Great Hall, a multifunctional space used for Latin Prayers, examinations, and large-scale concerts accommodating up to 750 students. The Hall, originally constructed in the 1090s as a monks’ dormitory, required a highly sympathetic approach to the integration of modern, cutting-edge audio-visual technology, ensuring the historic fabric and aesthetic integrity of the building were preserved.
The project presented a number of technical and architectural challenges. A height-adjustable lighting rig precluded the use of a ceiling-mounted projection solution, while the significant distance to the rear wall—approximately 30 metres—introduced further complexity. Maintaining the visual character of the space was a critical requirement, alongside the need to support at least two distinct operational layouts. In addition, the school required an intuitive, centrally managed control system with the scalability to incorporate future lighting control via DMX as requirements evolved.
The solution
entrustIT installed 2 x NEC Laser projectors to provide the flexible viewing layout required. The rearmost projector required a substantial lens due to the 30-meter throw distance, exacerbated by the high ceilings bleeding light. The high-lumen NEC PX803UL was perfect for the task, and the 8000 ANSI Lumens meant the main image was bright and clear.
The need to remain sympathetic to the aesthetic was countered by providing Sapphire Smart Move projector screens, allowing the screen housing itself to be lowered before the actual screen – massively reducing the visual impact of a larger housing (needed for length screen drops). The Smartmove screens were housed at each projection location and were automated to lower and present correctly whenever the projector was turned on.
The control-solution allowed for current control of the screen, projector and inputs, whilst also allowing for future scalability. The Kramer Control solution allows for the highest level of customisation and flexibility, so in time further services / actions can be controlled and managed from one single interface.
The benefits
DWM delivered the works to a tightly managed programme defined by LLAOL, coordinating on-site engineering resources alongside multiple contractors delivering parallel services.
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