University of Ottawa Ian G. Scott Courtroom

CHALLENGE

The Ian G. Scott Courtroom design infrastructure had many requirements, as it serves the Provincial Government as well as the School of Law. Strict provincial guidelines, security protocols and standards set by the bar, as well as end-users of the space shaped the attributes, capabilities and communication processes in the space. However, certain requirements were quite clear: Professors and students would require excellent sightlines for viewing the legal proceedings, top-notch automation and redundancy, key technology components and excellent sound reinforcement and acoustical considerations. During these events, faculty also requested that, upon permission of the Court, the proceedings be recorded and available to students and staff to evaluate and study. Likewise, Provincial Court officials required secure recordings and standard protocols that replicated their installations throughout the province.

SOLUTION

The final solution provides the security required through government computers and cable trays to provide acoustical separation between the rooms. The AMX Enova DGX-32 solution was key to this success due to its built-in software, and ability to ascertain the pass-through reliability of the crimping of each cable and the quality of the connections performed by our technical staff. The DGX-32 became the central nervous system of the installation and doubled as the gatekeeper for the provincial security requirements in the Ian G. Scott Courtroom. The specialized digital media switcher allowed the Clerk full access and retrieval to any and all sources during Courtroom proceedings. As part of the mandate of the provincial government, the Clerk could also ‘mute’ all audio feeds and render the two-way Pro-Display window opaque at the request of the Judge during confidential sessions. As an added solution design, our staff emulated the province’s interface control panels at their existing infrastructure which also contributed to the success of the space on campus.

IMPACT

“The Ian G. Scott Courtroom will allow all of us to work together,” said Professor Bruce Feldthusen, former dean of the Common Law Section. “Professors, students, judges and lawyers will all be able to engage with one another... creating a laboratory for active learning.... More importantly, the Ian G. Scott Courtroom will quite literally link the practicing bar and judiciary to classes at the Faculty of Law by way of a special classroom that will allow students to observe actual legal hearings from behind specialized glass. Students and professors will be able to discuss and critique proceedings as they take place, and later review cases with participating judges and lawyers. By bringing “real law” to the classroom, the Ian G. Scott Courtroom promises to provide uOttawa law students an experiential educational opportunity unique in Canada.”

– Mark Gareau, Director, Multimedia Distribution Service