Kinly Wins Top Education Project in the Crestron DM NVX Technology Awards

Kinly, the global provider of AV integration and collaboration services and support, is delighted to announce it has won Top Education Project at the Crestron DM NVX Technology Awards for the Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED) project.

We were presented with the award by Crestron CEO, Dan Feldstein, at a ceremony held at its New Jersey headquarters, complete with building-wide Kinly branding and a guard of honour from the Crestron team. 

To celebrate shipping one million DM NVX AV-over-IP units, Crestron introduced the Awards Programme in 2017. To win the Award, we needed to demonstrate exceptional usage of Crestron DM NVX technology, a scalable and cost-effective solution delivering 4K video and premium audio at near-zero latency.

The goal of the SHED project was to reimagine the digital and physical learning experience by delivering an integrated innovation hub with inclusivity woven into its fabric.

At the epicentre of the SHED sits an impressive Planar LED marquee in the atrium area used for campus-wide broadcasting and messaging. The video wall is a staggering 12 x 14 array of LED displays, measuring 20 feet wide x 23 feet tall with an overall resolution of 3072 x 3584.

The SHED comprises a multitude of dedicated learning experiences that include a state-of-the-art welcome area, maker spaces, classrooms, performing arts theatre, recording studio, and music and dance theatres. The spaces leverage the power of Crestron DM NVX technology for flawless and secure audio and video content distribution in real-time.

Despite tight deadlines and working in a pressurised environment complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the SHED has been fully operational since November 2023, with Kinly teams and partners collaborating to deliver a comprehensive package of complex AV solutions across all spaces.

To help RIT realise its ambition to create a more inclusive environment for its hearing-impaired community, we worked directly with Contacta to enhance hearing loops already in place. This allows the capability to have sign language interpreters via Zoom video in classes, empowering students to learn where they are most comfortable for the best possible educational outcomes.

Dan Feldstein, CEO, Crestron, said:

"Our celebration of the DM NVX product line is not possible without our partners and the impressive projects that bring these use cases to life. It’s an honour to present Kinly with this award of Top Education Project. We’re proud to recognise the vision and innovation that powered its work at the Rochester Institute of Technology.”

Jean Paul Lemmens, VP of Procurement, Product and Strategic Partner Management, Kinly, added:

“I would personally like to thank Dan Feldstein and the Crestron team for this award. Crestron has been a longstanding and highly important Kinly partner, and the RIT SHED project is testament to the excellent results that can be achieved through strategic alliances.

We were truly humbled by the guard of honour we received at Crestron headquarters and touched by the team going the extra mile and Kinly-fying their building!

Kinly and Crestron are firmly united on approach, strategy and innovation. We look forward to continuing to partner with Crestron and delivering exceptional quality to our global clients at maximum value.”

Chico Dominguez, SVP Service Delivery, Kinly US, said:

"We're thrilled that the RIT SHED project has been selected for the prestigious Top Education Project Award. The project itself was one of the most challenging we’ve been involved in, primarily due to disruptions caused by the pandemic and resultant supply chain issues.

Throughout the design and implementation phases, Kinly collaborated closely with Crestron, carefully forecasting procurement a year in advance. This allowed us to collectively secure the large quantities of equipment required to meet our timeline and deliver a fully functional environment for students and faculty as they returned to campus.

Despite unprecedented challenges, the SHED project was a resounding success, owing to the incredible teamwork from our partners and clients. A heartfelt thank you goes to RIT, Crestron, Welliver, and everyone else who played a role in bringing this unique vision to life."

For more on how we delivered RIT's SHED project, read the case study in full.