Columbia University Esports Room

Columbia University can now boast about its new Esports gaming lounge — the result of a design collaboration between Desai Chia Architecture and Acentech’s Technology Group. The Walter and Shirley Fan Wang Esports Room replaced an underused lounge in Wallach residence hall, a historic 10-story structure on Columbia’s Upper West Side campus. While encapsulating a state-of-the-art gaming studio into a historic building had its challenges, the design architect and technology team found unique ways to integrate the power demands, data networking, a vibrant array of AV systems, and acoustical treatments to create an energetic amenity for students and the gaming community.

Two concepts, the ‘Brain’ and the ‘Blade’ organize the room and its technology. The Brain acts as the core for computer equipment, cabling and wiring, which are accessible for future technology upgrades. Skinned in perforated stainless steel panels, the Brain’s HVAC system maintains consistent room temperature for both human occupants and the computer stations, while custom, faceted acoustical panels absorb unwanted noise.

The Blade, an independent structure across from the Brain, forms a flexible area for 12 gaming stations. The entire room can be configured for a variety of uses, including individual or team play, intercollegiate tournaments, and Esports training.

Acentech’s Technology Group consulted with the architectural team to design the audiovisual and telecommunications systems and provide architectural acoustical recommendations. The audiovisual consulting included specifications for large screen displays, speech reinforcement and playback, an ADA-compliant inductive loop assistive listening system, audio/video streaming, and live video production/recording systems. The telecommunications infrastructure specified includes wired cabling, wireless network infrastructure, and networked systems integrated into the lighting controls. Acentech’s Acoustics Group provided recommendations for room finishes and sound isolation strategies to prevent the game noise from disturbing nearby occupants.

With customizable, color-changing LED lighting and animated digital collages, this new Esports room brings excitement and life to the Columbia University residential and gaming community. Watch this engaging video, where the space comes alive!

“Acentech’s technology/acoustics team brought their talents and collaborative spirit to every phase of this project. They seamlessly melded the AV/Telecommunications infrastructure into the architecture and consistently supported our design concepts. They were always accessible, great at brainstorming, and delivered a thoroughly detailed set of CD documents. Acentech was a truly a great fit for our team.”

– Katherine Chia, FAIA, Desai Chia Architecture

For a deeper dive into our Esports expertise, check out Jay Epstein and Jason Martinez’s blog, Technology Design for Higher Education Esports.