Transforming Culinary Learning: AV Design-Build at Joliet Central
On Monday, January 6, Joliet Central High School unveiled their new ‘state of the art’ culinary arts lab for the school’s 700+ students to enhance and expand their education. Alongside the project’s architect, Wight + Co and the general contractor, Gilbane, LVS had the pleasure of celebrating the grand opening with the district + team as the project’s audiovisual design-build partner.
In the beginning discussions of this project, LVS was onsite working on another ongoing construction project with the District + Gilbane. Our team then joined the conversation discussing ways we can accomplish their goals of utilizing technology to expand their capabilities of their culinary arts programs. The design team then toured the culinary arts lab at Joliet Junior College to compare use cases and brainstorm ideas.
The main use cases for technology were to have the ability to showcase hands on techniques to students while at their own stations. This would allow a more interactive learning experience for students to try techniques in real time rather than be gathered around the main chef station. Leverage technology, LVS put together a design of utilizing Aver 4K PTZ streaming cameras at the main station to then stream to the various student station displays throughout the rest of the room. The camera is programmed with preselected view points the instructor can easily adjust hands-free via the foot pedal underneath the station. Whether it be a zoomed in view for learning specific food handling techniques or a focused image of the stovetop, each aspect of learning is covered.
The new culinary arts labs are comprised of two new, large classrooms and a “demonstration kitchen” taking up the majority of a hallway on the school’s third floor. The '“demonstration kitchen” is the main hub of the labs which is equipped with streaming and broadcasting capabilities. Demonstrations by teachers or guest chefs can be done in this kitchen and stream to the other two labs across the hall with the use of Crestron NVX technology. With the use of Epiphan streaming hardware, the school has the capacity for live streaming should the program have future opportunities of a YouTube channel or expanded technology throughout the building.
On the other side of the hall are two large, fully ADA-compliant modern kitchen classrooms, which can accommodate 32 students each and are connected by a kitchen supply and storage room. Each room is equipped with brand new KitchenAid appliances, including gas ranges and stand mixers, as well as all new furniture and utensils, multiple large-screen, ceiling-mounted TVs for demonstration purposes. These rooms connect back to the demonstration kitchen for expanded learning and to accommodate using all three rooms at once with AVoIP.
Each lab utilizes Biamp audio processing and Shure wireless microphones to provide clear and effective instruction for all the students. The main stations for teachers are equipped with an iPad using Crestron’s wireless control app to control the overall technology within the space.
We are proud to have helped bring the district’s vision to life and to offer our expertise on leveraging technology to enhance learning experiences for students. Our team is excited to continue working with Wight, Gilbane, and the district to bring this same experience to Joliet West High School this fall.
“Every technology design build starts with a vision. The LVS AV team worked closely from day one with the JTHS culinary department and the construction partners to design a superior culinary technology experience to serve the student body. Randy Ciesielski, our Project Manager alongside our Director of Engineering and Programming, Mike Taylor took this vision and custom tailored a solution with through collaboration and fierce attention to detail , and then executed this fully custom technology experience for Joliet Central High School. We could not be prouder of the team effort and final outcomes for Joliet Central High School. ”
