Pure AV installs immersive projection for Chester Zoo's Sumba School House

Pure AV engineers have installed an audio visual backdrop for an immersive School House experience at Chester Zoo.

Chester Zoo’s head of IT, Martin King, turned to Pure AV to install the projection and audio equipment to deliver an immersive educational experience in an exciting new education centre.

Sumba School is part of the ground breaking £40m Islands development at Chester Zoo. Home to the Zoo’s education team, the building hosts a varied programme of educational activity including workshops for local schools and colleges, curator style talks and animated story telling for younger audiences.

Made possible through the support of a significant grant from the Wolfson Foundation, Sumba School is no ordinary classroom space. The use of a sophisticated 360 degree projection and audio system designed by consultant and show systems programmer Dave Lascaut creates a truly immersive learning environment.

During a normal day the screen displays authentic 360degree video content commissioned by the Zoo and captured in Sumatra, but at the press of a button can display independent presentation content on each of the individual wall spaces.

Martin said: “Accurate installation was crucial, the integrator would be working to the tightest of margins, as little as an eighth of an inch out, and a clean edge blend would not be possible. Having worked with Pure AV on projects in the past, I was confident that they would be able to deliver to the exacting requirements of the specification”.

“The experience Pure AV brought to the project was instrumental in bringing together the vision with the reality of the building’s environment.

“The engineers came in and did a great job; the rack was configured perfectly off site, labelled and built as per specification, the work was neat and tidy. Checking in daily I didn’t have to do a great deal, it was just a case of letting them crack on.

“The Pure AV team had an important part to play in the delivery of Sumba School and thanks to their work and that of consultant Dave Lascaut we have created a really impactful space that our Education Team and visitors can engage with and truly enjoy." Ed Boyd, education officer at Chester Zoo, explains: “The 360 degree display allows us to create a real impact as students enter the space and the ability to display different content on the walls enables us to get participants up and on their feet and engaging with content in new and exciting ways”.