UH West Oahu Installs New Digital Wall, Theater

School News — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 14:00:30 +0000

HONOLULU — Students at the University of Hawaii – West Oahu (UH West Oahu) in Honolulu now get the opportunity to learn and showcase their work in an entirely new way. The university’s Academy for Creative Media installed the largest Organic Light Emitting Diodes wallpaper display in the state in collaboration with Jason Leigh, the director of the Laboratory for Advanced Visualization and Applications (LAVA).

The screen features 15, high-resolution LG Electronics screens joined together to form a 135-square-foot screen that can feature multiple videos and images concurrently. It stands in a 1,040-foot area within the UH West Oahu Library, which will be transformed into a 40-person theater by the end of the year, according to the . The project will include blacking out ceiling tiles, walls and windows in the area, and the installation of a sliding, retractable acoustical wall will keep the theater separate from the rest of the library.

“Because of the thinness of the technology it is the first time displays are becoming like wallpaper. This will usher in a future where all walls can be covered with information and art effortlessly and seamlessly,” Leigh told the university newsletter. “When used as a collaboration tool it could bridge distance creating the illusion that a remote location is literally right next door.”

The new screen allows for the university’s film and media departments to expand their curriculums, giving students the opportunity to view and study archival footage differently. Heather Giugni, a cultural collections specialist and producer at the university, noted that the Diamond Head Crater Festivals were filmed with two cameras, so the videos can be displayed at the same time, per the university newsletter.

As the second CyberCANOE (Collaborative Analytics Navigation and Observation Environment) site on the UH West Oahu campus, the screen can also be used for remote collaboration, content sharing and other digital interactions. The screen project was co-funded by a $600,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

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Jacksonville Debuts New College of Health Sciences Building

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A dedication of the new 30,000-square-foot College of Health Sciences (CHS) building at Jacksonville University was held on Sept. 4. The project is a major part of a larger, $20 million, phased plan to expand the college’s facilities, programs, equipment and faculty to meet growing demand.
Dasher Hurst Architects served as the architect on the project, while Perry-McCall Construction Inc. was the general contractor. Both companies are locally based in Jacksonville. 91��Ƶ spoke with Glenn Dasher, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, principal for the architecture firm, about what the new facility means for the university.
Q: What was the main goal on the project?
Dasher: The main goal of the project was to provide The College of Health Sciences with the additional space necessary to handle its continued growth and expanding programs. There are currently about 1,900 students in the College of Health Sciences. With Nursing, Speech-Language Pathology and Kinesiology program increases and new degrees, enrollment is projected to rise as much as 30 percent over the next several years.
A primary part of this puzzle was the development of a state-of-the-art Simulation Training and Applied Research (STAR) Center with 14 beds of newborn- to adult-patient mannequins, an Advanced Novel Equipment Workspace (NEW) speech pathology lab and a Physically Active Lifestyles (PAL) lab.
In addition to the School of Nursing, the CHS now includes the School of Applied Health Sciences (Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders; Department of Kinesiology) and the School of Orthodontics. The CHS has added a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology, and its Masters of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (MS SLP) started this fall. In addition, the CHS is developing and planning to offer several new master’s degree programs that target critically needed areas such as health informatics (anticipated fall 2015). A Masters of Kinesiology and Athletics Training degree programs are also planned.
Q: What were some of the key design elements?
Dasher: The most important design element was the incorporation of a two-story linear atrium that runs the length of the building. It has clerestory windows that run along the top, bringing daylight to the interior offices and corridors and creating a number of positive attributes for the building. It creates a healthier interior environment while reducing the cost of interior lighting and power consumption. It also nourishes the indoor garden located on the first floor, which includes a cascading waterfall feature. The garden acts as a soft buffer from the adjacent corridor and the first floor office, while the surrounding seat wall provides casual areas for students to socialize.
Q: What were the biggest challenges, and how did project team overcome those challenges?
Dasher: The biggest challenge on the design side was created by the requirement that the new building exterior be a close mirror copy of the original Lazzara Health Sciences center building next door, while the interior was a completely new program and layout. All the required spaces and adjacencies were carefully organized to maximize every square foot available while still providing social spaces that were sacrificed in the older building.
For the construction side, the very limited site available and its immediacy to surrounding buildings and student circulation was a challenge. Because the exterior walls were all made of site cast structural concrete panels, finding enough to form and pour them was very challenging for the contractor. To solve the problem, they developed an intricate plan for pouring multiple panels on top of each other, which required a precise schedule and approach for lifting and putting the walls in place. It required extensive coordination and a very skilled superintendent.
Q: What about the project differs from ones you’ve completed in the past?
Dasher: This project cost came in significantly under the projected budget that was based on recently completed similar buildings. We have been under budget on other projects, but were almost 32 percent under, considering some of the nice design features and finishes that made it into the final product. We were very happy to be able to create such a nice new home for the faculty and students that speaks to their own specific mission and ideals.

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UH West Oahu Installs New Digital Wall, Theater

Jacksonville Debuts New College of Health Sciences Building