ISE Giving Back to Amsterdam in Children’s Care Unit

Construction is underway and progress being made to build a new children’s transitional care unit in Amsterdam, showcasing how the AV community has come together to support the project with donations of product, time and services. In a joint venture between ISE, its co-owners CEDIA and AVIXA, and generous contributors from the industry, The Jeroen Pit House will be furnished with a state-of-the-art entertainment space for chronically ill children and their families to enjoy.

The Jeroen Pit House, which is being built within the grounds of the Emma Children’s Hospital, will make the difficult transition from hospital to home easier, safer and steadier for chronically ill children and their families.

Over 30 AV brands have committed to providing services and product for free to develop the media space, which will include a sensory room and home cinema. Woelf & AVEX have generously contributed design, product management and installation services. Other big-hearted contributors include ACT, Antratek, Apart, Arcam, Attero Tech, Audac, Audinate, Audipack, AVEX, Barco, Belden, Biamp, Bose, Chief, Cisco, Crestron, GenericAV, Intronics, Kenwell, Kramer AV, Logitech, Middle Atlantic, Monitor Audio, Nedis, Pakedge (SnapOne), Philips, Procab, Projecta, SCP, Sennheiser, Sony, StarTech, TU, and tvONE.

“Thanks to the ongoing generosity from industry contributors, we have brought together the best in technology, design and installation expertise to create a hi-tech entertainment space within the transitional care unit. The project will provide, amongst other things, an area of escape for chronically ill children and their families to spend time together and prepare for life at home,” said Mike Blackman, Managing Director, Integrated Systems Events.

ISE’s support for the development of The Jeroen Pit House project forms part of its legacy to the city of Amsterdam, the home of ISE for 15 years before its move to Barcelona in 2021. The initial brief was to deliver a state-of-the-art media space, but thanks to the ongoing generosity of AV contributors, this has evolved to include technology within all eight apartments, a dedicated cinema and presentation room, the communal area as well as the initial media space. CEDIA award-winning residential integrator Woelf in Belgium, along with commercial integration expert AVEX in the Netherlands, have been working together with the project team to design and prepare for a sophisticated system installation that reflects the unique needs of The Jeroen Pit House.

Preparations have been underway for over three years and, after some understandable setbacks related to the pandemic, the building is now scheduled for completion in early spring 2022. Despite the turbulence of the past 16 months, AV contributors have been undeterred in their commitment to the project:

“At Sony, we continue to be avid supporters of ISE, AVIXA and CEDIA and are honoured to be part of this very important project for a city that has a strong legacy in the tech world. By donating some of our flagship products, such as BRAVIA screens and laser projectors, we are proud to be among AV partners contributing towards the efforts to provide children with this much needed home from home at The Jeroen Pit House,” said Damien Weissenburger, Head of Sony Professional Displays and Solutions.

Jan Martens, Integration Specialist at Woelf, commented: “The support from the AV industry has been heart-warming. The quality of the contributions means that we have had the scope to look beyond the original media area and plan for a wider, more sophisticated integration to meet the needs of The Jeroen Pit House for many years to come. It’s humbling to have the opportunity to give back in this way.”

“We at AVEX are so proud and happy to work together in the team to realise the Jeroen Pit Huis; so valuable to work for a facility which will be so helpful for the chronically ill children and their families,” added Albert Bosman, Assistant Director, AVEX International. “For the whole design and installation of the audio- and visual installation we focus on reliability and ease-to-use which is of course very important in this environment. All suppliers involved responded spontaneously that they were very keen to contribute in this project. With the great enthusiasm in the team and all effort spend by everyone we are confident to make the required communication possible for the doctors and hospital and let these patients enjoy their favourite movies and music.”