Conde Nast

The Challenge

The client brief was to create an office environment that showcased its digital imagery, supported collaborative working and removed the silos often created within a working environment.

The Solution

Lead architect Deepak Parmar knew there was one product that would give Conde Nast (CN) the finish they needed, having seen the Christie Bricks at the London Stock Exchange.

Deepak explains, "We needed a product that would provide photo-like quality, fit into the restricted space we had to work with and allow for easy maintenance. Once we decided on the media wall, we wanted to create the illusion of the area being even larger. For this, we added a giant mirror on the ceiling above the new stairwell. The wall and the mirror have become the beating heart of the building, the mirror reflects both the digital canvas and the print library based next to the wall, which captures the very essence of Condé Nast's past and future."

Christie was chosen as the LED manufacturer due to their flexibility to provide design, support and installation services for CNI. Christie helped develop this solution from concept through to deployment and the result speaks for itself.

The goal was to create a simple user experience, the media wall had to be beautiful but also practical. To achieve this the technology solution needed to be intuitive, open, approachable and reactive, with interactive support for all, across all functions.

Lynnette Lawrance, CNI Project Manager, "You shouldn’t need loads of training, it should just work, the solution should be clear enough that my mum could do it. The interface is so straightforward that anyone can use it. We made the solution, so everyone in the office can link to it with their laptop but also any visitors could just share with their phone using Airmedia. The moment I knew we had achieved our goal was a couple of days after the wall had been installed, I came into the office and found a group of 30 people on the stairs using the screens to troubleshoot some code. I remember thinking, YES we’ve done it. Since then we have had to give The Well (as it is now known) its’ own Outlook Calendar as so many people are using it!"

Beside a detailed design for the space, Conde Nast also wanted a solution that included IT Infrastructure, a wireless network and audio visual design. These designs were developed using the British standard of design, known as the RIBA stages. Phil Hallchurch, AV consultant at MiX Consultancy also used the AVIXA ANSI/INFOCOMM V202.01:2016 standard to ensure the screen gave the optimum image quality for the users.

Throughout the office, the same ‘it should just work’ concept has been implemented in each meeting room, reception area and breakout space, all being managed with an easy to use icon interface.

"Crestron was used throughout the office to provide best-in-breed video distribution and control, which helped keep the user experience the same no matter which meeting room was being used. The easy to use icon control panel meant that anyone, be it staff, guest or the cleaners (who have been known to use it to watch TV in the cafe) could operate the screens throughout the building" advised Phil Hallchurch, MiX Consultancy.

"The combination of a relevant creative approach to the content and an understanding of how CNI wanted to deliver that content, now and in the future, was fundamental to the success of this project," comments Alex Hughes, Co-founder, Amigo.