When the Police needed a control room upgrade, they approached Technology Desking. Police operators often put in long hours under considerable pressure. After all, responding to the public's calls for help is hugely important work. Control room furniture must be durable and ergonomic to meet the demands of an operator's profession. For this project, we worked with the Police to install over 100 bespoke desks in control rooms across London.

Why Were Technology Desking Chosen?

The client selected TD because of our long experience in custom desk design. Also, Police control rooms require ergonomic desks that enhance operator focus and comfort.

Key Challenges 

• The desk design needed to incorporate specialist telecoms and voice equipment

• Control room operators work long shifts under considerable pressure. Technology Desking had to design ergonomic consoles to help operators' focus and comfort. The workstations required features that make users' lives easier.

• Monitor configurations varied between desks. Some had two tiers of monitors, others only one with varied configurations.

• This was a large-scale project with over 100 desks installed in several control rooms across London.

Solutions

• Each desk had a bespoke PC cabinet that could house specialist control room equipment. The cabinet moved up and down with the desktop whenever users adjusted its height. This function made operators' lives easier by allowing quick and easy PC access for adjustments or maintenance.
  

• We installed height-adjustable control room desks. Controllers can set their ideal desktop height and move between sitting and standing for increased focus.
  

• TD installed one and two-tier 'SmartArm' monitor arms to support the multiple screens used by operators. 
  

• We worked with our installation partners to deliver the project to schedule with tight deadlines.

Cost-effective with improved ergonomics

Ergonomic design is a vital feature of the control room desk setup. The client upgraded to height-adjustable desks for comfortable working. Operators can set their ideal desktop height, which is helpful in a control room setting. Desks are used for long hours or shared between different users. Operators can easily adjust the desktop height for either sitting or standing too.

The desks all incorporated highly innovative dynamic PC cabinets. A lockable enclosure houses the PC and in-desk equipment, and it can move up and down with a height-adjustable desk. Raising the desktop provides seated IT access (so no more getting onto your knees under a desk!). In addition, accessories such as power sockets, data, RCD and cabling can be located and managed in this housing.

Dynamic PC cabinets help with cost as they do away with the need for bespoke cabling. Instead, the client could use standard cables, which saves money.

Flexible and accessible technology

Technology Desking provided SmartArm monitor mounts. SmartArm is our flat panel monitor mounting system and is very adaptable. We designed the system to meet changing monitor specifications and configurations. The Police desks had variable numbers of monitors, so Smartarm could be configured for that. It's also easily adapted if the client wants to add more monitors or the monitor configuration needs to be changed.

Our Technology Links solution provides desktop power. Control room operators work in a pressurised environment and must access equipment easily. Desktop PC power and data outlets allow this. As a result, there's no need to reach awkwardly under the desk to access sockets. Technology Links also enables users to change PCs in seconds for rapid swap-out and moves.

Conclusion

This was a large-scale project that Technology Desking was able to deliver successfully. With over 100 desks to install, the project presented key challenges. We had to incorporate specialist telecoms and voice equipment, allow for varying monitor configurations and design durable, ergonomic consoles. TD are committed to meeting the needs of our clients while delivering high-quality products and services on schedule.

Are you looking to upgrade your control room? Technology Desking create tailored solutions for your specific needs. Whether it's a slight tweak or a custom solution, we will always prioritise ergonomic design and technology management. Check out our range here.