Computing labs and facilities
We have a wealth of specialist rooms and equipment that enable students and academics to create cutting-edge work, and form friendships, networks and collaborations.
HatchLabs
HatchLabs is the Department of Computing's digital fabrication and physical computing makerspace based in St James Hatcham Building. The space features:
- Electronics Workbenches
- 3D Printers
- Laser Cutters
- Woodworking Tools
- Hot-Desking Spaces
The space is accessible subject to signing a code of conduct, and certain tools are subject to inductions which happen at the start of each term. The space is staffed by a team of friendly technicians during the week, some facilities also remain open over the weekend.
Computer suites
The Department’s computer suites are equipped with around 250 iMacs. These machines are all centrally managed, ensuring that any software you need for your studies is available on every machine – this includes the Adobe Creative suite, and a host of other programmes to aide in creative computing, as well as software and web development.
Each computer suite features a projector, speakers, and voice reinforcement for teaching.
Equipment Store
The Department has a well-stocked equipment store which students can borrow from to complete their work, present in shows, or experiment with something new.
Our inventory includes general Audio-Visual kit such as projectors, speakers, and monitors as well as a wide range of specialist kit including sensors, virtual reality headsets, mobile motion capture suits and various Human-Computer Interfaces.
Virtual reality lab
The VR and Mocap lab has an array of VR-ready PC workstations, each equipped with tethered headsets, as well as an OptiTrack motion capture volume.
This system allows you to capture motion data for live performance, animation, creative computing, or games programming projects. There are also edit bays set-up for data cleaning recordings that you make.
The lab is also equipped with an 8.1 Ambisonic surround sound system making it a great space to experiment with extended reality and sound.
Sonics Immersive Media Lab
G05 / SIML is an immersive media space in the Hatcham Church building, on the south-west corner of campus. It is an immersive projection and surround-sound room that features 5 floor-to-ceiling projection screens and a 12.2 surround sound speaker system.
The space is managed by the Computing Department but is open to students and staff from across the university. The space is often used for degree shows, as well as playing host to events such as Dancing Into the Metaverse, when the space was linked up in real time to the Mocap facilities down the road and to another such facility in the United States. The space is not staffed full time, but members of staff are available to support work in the space and must be consulted before bookings can be made.
User Experience Lab
The User Experience (UX) Lab is a specialised lab where usability research and testing are carried out.
It supports the activities required to conduct research and design testing—such as focus groups, usability testing, heuristic evaluations, participatory design workshops, brainstorming sessions, cognitive walkthroughs, and physiological response mapping—reinforcing the Ask, Observe, and Measure triangulation paradigm.
Researchers can examine workflows and user journeys by synchronising the data collected from these three approaches to provide an in-depth understanding of how people perform a task. The rooms, equipment, and software's available allow for the recording of on-screen to real-world user interactions. In our space, you'll find:
- Group study area designed to foster collaboration.
- Multiple eye gaze trackers for recording data on gaze patterns, gaze flow, and gaze concentration across the interface.
- Car simulator to explore digital dashboards and instrument clusters regarding both UI and UX.
- Wide range of wearable biosensors, that allow physiological mapping taking place in their participants as they perform a test.
- EEG kits that can track brain activity to help understand unfiltered human responses.
- Surround sound system to conduct immersive media studies.
- AV recording system to capture expression, posture and behavioural data.
- Workstations with necessary design and analysis software to process the data.
Goldsmiths Digital Studio
This is a space that brings students and artists together. The studio has several specialist solder stations, basic electronics consumables and hacking equipment making it the perfect home for physical computing activities.
The studio has long been a hub for digital experimentation and is the home for our MA/MFA in Computational Arts, as well as our research consultancy and prototyping service, Goldsmiths Digital.
St James Hatcham
This is a dedicated exhibition space available for all departments on campus.
The building retains iconic features including the beautiful stained glass windows, while benefitting from modern finishes. This makes it an outstanding exhibition space for our MA/MFA Computational Arts and BSc Digital Arts Computing degree shows.