The NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) undertook two important District Court upgrade projects in the famous Downing Centre building in Sydney in 2016-17. The three large courtrooms were completely overhauled, and the Audio visual and Video conferencing solutions upgraded to the modern DCJ standards.

One exciting challenge in the level 5 courtroom required some very close collaboration from all members of the greater design and installation teams to overcome sight line constraints. Large structural columns became invisible thanks to some well-designed technology solutions, which included strategically placed LCD screens, high-definition cameras, and fast video switching. The finished design enabled the judge to effectively see through the column and have full visibility of the room.

The integration and placement of the technology in the courtrooms was also very important to DOJ. The konnectus designers collaborated with the architect and joinery contractor to ensure microphones, cameras, LCD screens, touch control panels, and loudspeakers were all in exactly the right locations for optimal performance and use.

The loudspeaker system is a Mix-minus design in the multiple zones of Bench table, Bar table, Docks, Witness stand, and Jury. Each courtroom also has an IP Remote Monitoring system that enables audio and video to be streamed live to remote courtrooms

In addition to the three large courtrooms, the upgrade at Downing Centre included multiple Jury rooms and Remote Witness rooms.