The one feature common to all technical furniture systems is that every customer arrives with differing requirements. Our success over nearly 30 years of technical furniture development stems from our ability to create customer-specific solutions without the high cost and long delivery times inherent in one-off designs.
Introduced in 2011, MDesk-Technical was developed for use in control rooms and related locations where there is no requirement to house large equipment within the body of the desk. It quickly became popular for locations such as broadcast media postproduction suites and security control rooms. The design itself evolved from an earlier product range, M-Desk, which we launched in 2007. Notable features of M-Desk included retractable-handle height adjustability. Early adopters included Harrods Ltd in Knightsbridge who purchased two M-Desks for an IT suite.
A variant of M-Desk was the Media Desk editing workstation, introduced in 2008, which numbered Red Bee Media among its users. Media Desk features included large-diameter radial corners with high-density curved edging.
MDesk-Technical incorporates full cable management, mains power distribution mounts, multiple vision monitor anchors and a brush-protected continuous desktop access strip. Floor to desk power cables can be ducted within the supporting extruded aluminium legs. Free-standing or under-desk pedestals can be added if or where required for personal or PC storage. MDesk-Technical desks are available in various configurations for individual or multiple operators. Options include LED-illuminated side panels, 15/30/45/90-degree corner sections and wide selection of worktop laminates in hard-wearing Marmoleum. Robust build quality and careful attention to ergonomic details are a feature of these and indeed all Custom Consoles desks.
Heavy-duty height adjustability
In Q3 2022 we announced MDesk-Technical HA (Figure 1) which gave operators the ability to adjust the desk height electrically. Users also gained the ability to transition easily between seated or standing work modes, delivering globally acknowledged advantages in terms of posture-related ergonomics. MDesk-Technical HA proved a very successful addition to our product range, both in the broadcast-related and security sectors. It can be adjusted in height from 66 to 125 cm above floor level. Free-standing 19 inch desktop pods can be specified at the time of order or added later.
Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University selected MDesk-Technical HA control room desks for a newly completed security facility on its main campus at Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent (Figure 2). This installation comprises two desks in side-by-side configuration. Equipped for independent use by two operators, the desks provide support for a total of five video display screens mounted on Ergotron monitor arms. An equipment frame accommodating an enterprise-grade computer is located behind each desk. The university’s security team were aware of the benefits of height adjustability from ergonomic as well as health perspectives and recognised that dual desks would give operators freedom to select their preferred settings rather than having to compromise on the height of a single desk. The adjustability of the Ergotron monitor support arms is a further advantage as each monitor screen can be repositioned in terms of lateral and vertical viewing angle as well as display height.
Milford Haven Port Authority
Custom Consoles technical control desks and related furniture were chosen by the Milford Haven Port Authority, a busy shipping gateway handling liquid, bulk, break bulk and heavy lift cargoes from its western UK site. The project formed part of an upgrade to the port’s main control suite (Figure 3). It includes two Vessel Traffic Service operator consoles plus a supervisor’s console, each from the MDesk-Technical HA series, as well as partitions, storage units, monitor display mounting arms, in-desk and under-desk LED lighting, power distribution and 24/7 chairs. We also provided a map table plus storage units for reference and procedures manuals and charts.
“Over the past two decades there has been increasing evidence to support the practical and wellbeing benefits of stand-up office working,” says Fraser Turvey, marine duty officer, Milford Haven Vessel Traffic Service. “Users of such equipment report increased energy levels, circulation and concentration among the myriad of benefits and it is an easy way for employers to help impede the onset of some common musculoskeletal and postural issues. Combine shift working, long hours and seated office-based work and you have the perfect storm for ill health.”
“We are delighted to now have the capability to stand as we work. This will undoubtedly improve the health of every team member who chooses to use the stand-up facility. Not only are we getting the musculoskeletal benefits of standing but we are now capable of a massive 50% increase in non-exercise activity thermogenesis during an 11 hour day shift. This means that our shifts are now involving only in the region of 25% less movement than our days off. The health benefits both short and long term cannot be understated.”
“The desks themselves are solid and the colours as chosen are aesthetically pleasing. They make the whole control room look more professional. The larger surface area has allowed us to allocate additional working screens for more efficient working and the curved wrap-around design has created an involving workstation.”
“An unexpected benefit has been the ability to use the desks and computer screens in the standing configuration to block out direct sunlight that is often not sufficiently dampened by the control room window blinds. This is more prevalent during sunny winter days with low sun.”
Plant Zero.1
Zero Petroleum, a specialist in the development of eco-friendly fuels, invested in a Custom Consoles MDesk-Technical desk for installation at its Plant Zero.1 technology centre in Oxfordshire (Figure 4). The desk is being used as the process control hub of Zero’s laboratory and engineering facility at Bicester Heritage, a former RAF station which still retains an active airfield and motor test track. Following a site visit, we proposed a wrap-round layout which makes very efficient use of the control room size. The result is a rectangular configuration with an entry point adjacent to the control room door. The desk can be used by a single supervisor or a team of up to nine operators. Measuring just over 6 metres in width and 4.2 metres front to back, the desk comprises a total of 28 bays, each bay being fitted with three video monitor mounting points. All worktop corners within the inner area are curved for safety. Four drawer pedestals are integrated within the console.
Applied Integration
Applied Integration invested in MDesk-Technical desks for a newly equipped demonstration suite at its headquarters in Stokesley, North Yorkshire. The desks (Figure 5) are being used to promote the company’s wide range of technical capabilities in areas such as robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, process control and system virtualisation. “Custom Consoles’s MDesk-Technical formed a basis from which we could specify desks that exactly matched our requirements in terms of features, dimensions, build quality and styling,” comments Applied Integration project engineer Richard Willingham. “They are IT-friendly with good internal cable ducting, excellent ergonomics and robust construction.” Applied Integration specified a 2.5 metre wide rectangular desk and 3 metre wide wing-shaped desk for use by up to two and three people respectively. The two MDesk-Technical desks are equipped with 24 inch LED video monitors coupled to individually adjustable support arms which are mounted along the rear edge. The two desks and a side table have coordinated styling including blue worktops, black edging and grey supports.
AE Live
AE Live, an internationally active provider of sports-related television services, selected MDesk-Technical control room furniture for integration into new graphics suites at premises in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Six suites in total have been equipped, one of which is illustrated in Figure 6.
“We specialise in delivering creative, innovative and data-rich services for live sport broadcasts,” comments Andy McCall, AE Live’s Facilities and Health & Safety Manager. “That includes creating, developing and delivering on-screen graphics, virtual studios, augmented reality graphics, optimised feeds for devices and audiences, newsroom graphics, virtual advertising, and in-stadia feeds across a broad range of platforms and in multiple languages. The graphics suites enable our staff to concentrate on projects delivered from the AE Live Campus without the visual or acoustic distractions that reduce concentration in an open-plan working environment. Custom Consoles’ MDesk-Technical series was the logical choice as it makes highly efficient use of the available space while retaining the freedom to specify the exact features we needed from a standardised range of structural elements. The resultant desks are very strongly built including under-desk pedestals to accommodate IT equipment, monitor display mounts and integral cable management. They also combine comfortable ergonomics with elegant styling.”
Radio Télévision Suisse
Radio Télévision Suisse invested in a triple-operator U-shaped desk from the MDesk-Technical range, visually linked to the news presentation studio by a large window. The desk houses three audio mixing panels embedded in the work surface. An additional desk in the control room, designed for single-operator use, is used for control of the streaming radio-news-related video to the internet. A third desk is a double sided unit for use by journalists and auxiliary staff.
Warrior Insight
Warrior Insight, a risk management specialist based in Kenya, chose MDesk-Technical for installation at its Nairobi headquarters. The desks house the operational infrastructure for a newly built security control suite. Pre-assembled modules were air freighted from our UK factory complete with easy-to-follow instructions. The control room furniture comprises three desks providing a total of eight independent workstations. Each operator has access to a dedicated computer housed in an under-desk pedestal plus three desktop monitor display screens and a desktop keyboard. Largest of the desks is a 6.4 metre wide four-operator unit facing a large-screen video wall. Behind this is a parallel 4.8 metre wide three-operator desk. Third of the three desks is a 1.6 metre wide supervisor’s workstation with an additional work surface extension. Each desk incorporates a hard-wearing blue Marmoleum work surface.
Ongoing development
The latest version of MDesk-Technical HA builds on the success of the original and also offers options such as a desktop induction pad to charge mobile devices. Recently added features include high-strength CDF construction, metal-clad vertical supports, LED lighting at the front and sides and in the footwell, desktop cable trays feeding work-surface cable ports, plus five underside power sockets for desktop equipment. Retained features include a massive 400 kg total lifting capacity plus a wide choice of worktop surface finishes. MDesk-Technical and MDesk-Technical HA are designed to meet ISO 9241 part 5, ISO 11064 parts 3 and 4 as well as EN 527.
Summary
MDesk-Technical and MDesk-Technical HA continue to be successful elements of our product range, reflecting the ever wider application of electronic media technology throughout the world. We remain attentive as ever to the evolving needs of existing and potential customers and to ensuring that our products combine ergonomic excellence with robust build quality and operational versatility.
