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Dimmed cinema room with a large drop-down screen showing a media menu, ambient lighting, and rows of lounge seating.
Cinema-style seating with tiered bean bag and sofa rows facing a large projector screen wall, acoustic panels, and ceiling-mounted projector.
Case Study: Hybrid Cinema & Teaching Space Upgrade
Location: Massey Palmerston North
Sector: University
Completed: June 2026
The Challenge

The original scope was straightforward: decommission the old AV gear and fit out WB1 as a modern teaching space, with a lectern touch panel and microphone, a camera, and a screen for lecture capture and hybrid teaching. Partway through the project, the university decided the room would work better as a hybrid cinema and teaching space, one that could switch between film screenings and regular classes. That original approach no longer fit. A lecture room’s stereo sound wasn’t going to cut it for film screenings, the lighting needed to support both a proper “lights down” cinema mode and normal teaching light levels, and the screen originally chosen for a teaching space wasn’t going to deliver a real cinema experience.

Our Solution

We built the system around the room’s dual purpose from the start, covering sound, lighting, mics, and screen as one integrated setup.

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  • Surround sound was built in as the primary audio path, not added on top of a stereo system. Six wall speakers, two subwoofers, and an extra speaker deliver genuine cinema sound.

  • Rather than a ceiling mic array, we specified lectern microphones, a straightforward setup that suits both teaching and hosting screenings.

  • Ceiling and floor lighting are both on a dedicated dimming controller, letting staff drop the lights for a screening or bring them up for teaching, straight from the touch panel.

  • A large 180″ screen and repositioned projector give the room real cinema scale, while still working well for teaching content.

  • Sound, lighting, and screen all run from a single touch panel, so anyone can switch the room between teaching and screening mode in moments.

What the room can now do

  • True surround sound, built around the room

  • Lectern microphones for straightforward, reliable audio pickup

  • Dimmable ceiling and floor lighting for both screenings and teaching

  • A 180″ screen suited to group viewing and teaching content

  • One touch panel controlling lights, sound, mics, and screen together

The Outcome

What started as a teaching space fitout became a genuine hybrid space, redesigned and delivered without missing a beat. The room now switches easily between film screenings and regular teaching, with sound, lighting, mics, and screen all working together as one system.

 

Interested in a similar space for your school or campus? Let’s talk.

www.avintegration.co.nz | office@avintegration.co.nz | 0800 28 8326 (0800 AV TEAM)