Durham University Esports
Creating a state-of-the art Esports space for Durham Esports, marking our first major Esports installation at a university."Working with TOP-TEC Esports has been fantastic! Right from the start they were super involved in making sure they understood what we were working with in terms of space and were very patient with us as the room design changed frequently! They listened to our requirements at each stage of the process and fed back any concerns or issues with the layout that could affect the outcome.
The design process was very collaborative, and they helped massively with envisioning the layout of the desks by creating a full room design for us. The installation process was also fantastic and seamless. They also happily listened to a few concerns we had about charging points and additional screws and assisted with addressing them asap. We would highly recommend TOP-TEC for Esports solutions in the future."
Kylie Kendrick
Technical Specialist – Esports
Background
TOP-TEC recently created a state-of-the art Esports space at Durham University, marking our first major Esports installation at a university. This project highlighted how far Esports is reaching within education beyond colleges and into higher education.
Durham University wanted a dedicated Esports hub that would facilitate Esports learning and support the university’s Esports team. Having worked with us in the past and knowing our proven track record of creating high quality functional Esports spaces, we were contacted by the university to help transform the space into an immersive Esports lab.
Key Project Criteria:
- Maximise use out of limited space.
- Functional connectivity option for users.
- Furniture should represent the branding of the university.
- Create a fully immersive Esports space.
Decision process…
We were contacted by the university’s Esports Technical Specialist, Kylie Kendrick who expressed her interest in TOP-TEC helping create the Esports space. Following several meetings with Kylie and Stone Computers who supplied the gaming equipment, we discussed their requirements and collaborated on some ideas for the new dedicated Esports room.
We decided that our Nebula Esports Booth and Station would be the best solutions to meet the university’s needs. Our Nebula Esports Booth feature privacy dividers with raised PC shelves that not only create a barrier to opponents screens, but further engages students in a professional gaming atmosphere. Our Nebula Esports Station was also selected for the space beneath the large screen at the back of the room.
Let us do what we do best…
TOP-TEC offered 2D room layouts to help maximise the use of the space alongside 3D product renders of the gaming stations so that the college could begin to visualise how the workstations would look.
“Maximise use out of limited space.”
The 2D layouts our design team created of the room helped our client visualise the space available after the furniture solutions would be placed in the room. This allowed the opportunity for suggestions on what furniture placement would best help maximise the space before the final furniture installation was done.
The choice of furniture – Nebula Esports Booth allows for overhead PC storage, allowing more use of horizontal space in the room instead of floor space.
“Functional connectivity option for users.”
We swapped out the orb charging points on the Nebula Booths for a flat option to increase the number of charging points available to use.
Our Esports desks also include effective internal cable management, allowing users to plug in their devices while creating a tidy, tamper proof and cable free environment.
“Furniture should represent the branding of the university.”
We created an illuminated version of the university’s logo at the end of each desk row alongside incorporating the university’s colour, purple, on the edge banding of the desk and in the LED lights around the desks.
“Create a fully immersive Esports space.”
The desks were placed to be aligned on the walls at opposite sides of the room. This gives the students a competitive-feel when battling against each other in the team-based games.
The LED lights make players feel more immersed in the gaming world, enhancing engagement, focus and concentration.
The Result
We have received positive feedback from students and staff and the space has quickly become a hub for Esports enthusiasts in the university. Our client is pleased with how were able to make the most of the limited space while accommodating their specific requirements.
The Esports lab is already being used to host tournaments and games such as the DUEG Inter-Collegiate Tournament and many more to come.
Download the full PDF case study here
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