Before you invest millions in a smart campus, get the blueprint right.
We've spent the last 15 years working with universities on complex campus technology programs. Our fixed-price discovery process helps avoid poor scoping and de-risks decisions before major budgets are committed.
How We De-Risk Smart Campus Projects
Watch this 3-minute overview of our fixed-price discovery process
About Us
Co-founders Jon and Steve
ex Sydney uni
PlaceOS was founded to solve a problem we experienced firsthand.
Our founders, Jon McFarlane and Steve Von Takach, met while working at the University of Sydney, deep in campus AV and IT. What became clear early was that universities weren't struggling with a lack of technology, they were struggling with fragmentation. Systems were procured in silos, rarely designed to work together, and almost impossible to evolve once deployed.
Fifteen years ago, we founded PlaceOS specifically to solve that integration challenge. Not by adding another application, but by creating an integration and automation layer that sits above existing systems. A platform designed to connect access control, room bookings, HVAC, AV, digital signage, and sensors into a single, real-time campus environment.
Since then, we've worked with universities globally, as well as workplaces, government facilities, and hospitals. That cross-sector experience allows us to bring proven operational and automation patterns back into higher education, while still respecting the complexity and governance unique to campuses.
Today, PlaceOS enables real-time and AI-assisted workflows that improve energy efficiency, operational readiness, and the on-campus experience, without ripping and replacing existing infrastructure.
Why Discovery Comes First
After 15 years working inside complex campuses, one thing is consistent: smart campus projects don't fail because of technology. They fail because of poor scoping, misaligned stakeholders, and unclear system architecture.
That's why we start with a fixed-price Discovery and Blueprint phase.
This process aligns Facilities, IT, AV, and academic stakeholders, defines the right integration architecture, and maps practical automation workflows before major budget is committed. The outcome isn't a slide deck, it's a clear, executable blueprint that reduces risk and sets your campus up for long-term success.
Big plans, bigger questions.
You know a smarter campus or workplace is the future. But the path to get there is filled with complexity, competing priorities, and risk.
Siloed Departments
Facilities, IT, and HR have different goals. How do you unite them behind a single vision?
Complex Technology
You have systems that don't talk to each other. How do you integrate them without starting from scratch?
Uncertain ROI
You can't afford a costly investment that doesn't deliver clear value. How do you prove the business case?
Undefined Needs
Your teams struggle to articulate what they need. How do you turn vague ideas into a concrete plan?
Your Blueprint for Success.
We've refined a structured, sprint-based process that moves you from ambiguity to an actionable plan. We facilitate the tough conversations and do the technical diligence so you can move forward with confidence.
Discovery & Stakeholder Alignment
We run collaborative workshops with your key stakeholders across Facilities, IT, AV, HR, and Operations to unify objectives and define what success looks like for everyone.
User-Centric Design
We go beyond features to capture the real-world user stories and journeys of your employees and operators. This ensures the solution is adopted because it solves problems people actually have.
Technical Scoping & Audit
We dive into your existing infrastructure. We audit your systems, sensors, and data sources to map out what can be leveraged, what needs to be connected, and how it all fits together.
Prototyping & Validation
We make the vision tangible. Through high-fidelity mockups and workflow diagrams, we validate the most critical user experiences with your team before a single line of code is written.
"A poorly defined scope will derail your project and your procurement. Teams get stuck debating: slow custom solutions or ill-fitting off-the-shelf software. We establish clarity upfront to save millions later. Using application prototypes, we embed the adoption process now, before a high-stakes event leaves no room for error. Ultimately, you get a custom-fit solution that plugs into your standard platforms, solving the debate once and for all."— Jon McFarlane
Fixed-Price Consulting Packages
Our engagement provides a comprehensive set of documents that deliver immediate value. This is your project's foundation—a blueprint you can use to brief any vendor, guide your internal teams, and make informed investment decisions.
Discovery Blueprint
A comprehensive strategic package to de-risk your project.
- ✅The Stakeholder Map
- ✅Prioritized User Stories
- ✅Technology & Systems Audit
- ✅Integration Requirements Document
- ✅Project Statement of Works (SOW)
- ✅High-Fidelity UX Mockups
Blueprint + UI Prototype
The complete Blueprint plus a tangible, interactive prototype.
- ➕Everything in the Discovery Blueprint
- ✅Working UI Prototype: A clickable, interactive front-end application built with web-standard technologies.
- ✅Ready to Connect: Designed for seamless integration with your backend systems and APIs.
For PlaceOS Customers
SPECIAL OFFERThe complete Blueprint plus a tangible, interactive prototype.
- ➕Everything in the Discovery Blueprint
- ✅Working UI Prototype: A clickable, interactive front-end application built with web-standard technologies.
This 30% discount is available to all current PlaceOS customers, or as a credit for new customers.
Campus-Wide AI Blueprint
Design a single, coherent AI layer for your entire campus
- ✅Campus AI Architecture Blueprint
- ✅Integration & Data Mapping
- ✅LLM & AI Stack Strategy
- ✅Use-Case & Workflow Definition
- ✅Security, Permissions & Governance Model
- ✅Phased Delivery Roadmap
- ✅Executive-Ready Documentation
Outcome: A single AI strategy that replaces fragmented assistants with a scalable, campus-wide solution.
Why This Matters
Most universities are heading toward AI in the same way they approached campus software over the last decade: one tool at a time. The result is predictable. Multiple AI assistants, each tied to a single system, each with partial context, and none capable of coordinating across the campus as a whole.
This is an integration problem, not an AI problem.
PlaceOS exists specifically to solve integration at campus scale. For 15 years, we've focused on abstracting complex protocols, normalising data from disparate systems, and enabling real-time orchestration across buildings and operations. That foundation is exactly what campus-wide AI depends on.
Instead of embedding AI separately into timetabling, facilities, IT, or student systems, we design a single integration layer that connects those systems to the right LLM backend and exposes one consistent AI interface across all digital touchpoints.
The result is an AI capability that:
- •Understands context across departments
- •Respects permissions and governance
- •Evolves as systems change
- •Avoids vendor lock-in
- •Scales from operational automation to strategic insight
This engagement is not about deploying chatbots. It's about designing the architecture that makes AI useful, safe, and sustainable across your campus.
Potential Return on Investment
By improving user experience and operational efficiency at the same time, we're able to stack outcomes that deliver a clear return on investment.
Energy Savings
Up to $1,000 per room by eliminating unnecessary HVAC, lighting, and AV usage when spaces are unoccupied.
Smart Automation
Spaces brought to comfort before use by referencing timetable and booking data—no manual intervention required.
Zero Friction
Rooms are ready when people arrive. Systems behave predictably. Users no longer think about how the building works.
12-Month Payback Period
With the right architecture, it's entirely realistic for a smart campus investment to pay for itself within the first 12 months. Our role is to help you identify those opportunities upfront, so your investment isn't just justified—it pays back.
An Exclusive Partnership
To ensure dedicated, high-impact collaboration, we limit our discovery engagements to 12 clients per year.
Current Availability for 2026
The PlaceOS Platform: The Central Nervous System for Your Smart Campus
PlaceOS is not just an AV control system; it's an Operating System for your physical spaces. Designed for large-scale environments like universities, our platform integrates disparate technologies – from AV and lighting to HVAC and IoT sensors – into a single, intelligent ecosystem.
Unified Control
Manage all your campus technology from one intuitive interface. No more siloed systems or complex workflows.
Enhanced User Experience
Empower students, faculty, and staff with simple, consistent control over their environments, whether in lecture halls, meeting rooms, or common areas.
Data-Driven Insights
Collect valuable data on space utilization, energy consumption, and system performance to optimize operations and make informed decisions.
Future-Proof Scalability
Built on a flexible, open-standards architecture, PlaceOS grows with your university, easily accommodating new technologies and evolving needs.
See PlaceOS in Action at Leading Universities
Watch how we're transforming campus experiences
"Classrooms should no longer be viewed as four walls and a projector. They are integrated spaces, aimed at fostering engagement and creating unified opportunities. We have a responsibility to look at the campus as a holistic entity, tying in all systems to create human-centered experiences from the dorm, to the classroom, to study spaces, entertainment venues, residential life, and communications."— Dr. Joe Way, Executive Director, Digital Spaces
Accelerate Your Smart Campus Journey with Turn-Key Interfaces
Jumpstart your transformation with our ready-to-deploy interfaces, designed for common campus scenarios. These pre-configured solutions provide immediate value, reducing deployment time and complexity.
Smart Lecture Theatres & Teaching Spaces
Simplify setup with automated control of AV, lighting, and room conditions—driven by the class timetable. No more last-minute tech issues or manual resets.
Meeting Rooms & Collaboration Spaces
Streamline bookings and enable hybrid collaboration with one-touch video calls, environment presets, and usage analytics—perfect for staff, research groups, and student teams.
Digital Signage & Interactive Wayfinding
Keep your campus dynamic and easy to navigate with real-time signage for events, announcements, and directions—automatically updated via existing systems.
Occupancy & Environmental Monitoring
Gain real-time insight into how your campus is used—with dashboards showing room utilization, air quality, and energy use to support planning and sustainability goals.
Tailor-Made Solutions: Because No Two Universities Are Alike
While our turn-key interfaces offer a fantastic starting point, PlaceOS truly shines in its adaptability. We understand your university has unique workflows, existing infrastructure, and specific departmental needs.
Integrate Existing Systems
Seamlessly connect to your current building management systems, timetabling software, security platforms, and legacy AV equipment.
Design Bespoke User Experiences
Customize the look, feel, and functionality of every interface to match your brand and specific user requirements.
Develop Custom Logic & Automations
Create complex automation sequences – for example, a classroom automatically powering on and setting the correct AV mode when a booking starts.
Build Custom Modules
Extend the platform's capabilities with unique features specific to your campus operations, such as specialized lab controls or research facility integrations.
Common Interfaces We Deploy in Universities
These are typical interfaces that can be rapidly deployed or serve as foundational templates for tailored campus solutions.
AV Control: Intelligent & Accessible
Simplify teaching space management with intuitive AV control, now enhanced with voice commands and Large Language Model (LLM) integration. This web-based interface runs seamlessly on any compatible hardware, including PoE-enabled touch panels in Chrome kiosk mode. Automate routine setups and use the touch panel for on-demand adjustments or call management.
Stagehand: Centralized Support & Remote Management
Empower your helpdesk with Stagehand, a centralized platform for remote control and monitoring of all teaching spaces. Helpdesk teams can view live status, remotely operate systems, and efficiently troubleshoot issues, ensuring smooth technical operations across campus.
Back-office: Advanced Configuration & Management
Designed for power users, the Back-office interface provides comprehensive tools to set up automation workflows, define new integrations, implement custom logic, and manage every component of your PlaceOS solution. Gain full control over your intelligent campus ecosystem.
WorkMate: Adaptable Workplace Experience Platform
Recognizing that a campus is also a workplace, WorkMate offers a turn-key package for common workplace experiences. Its versatile features serve as an excellent starting point for enhancing student experiences, allowing you to easily customize it as a template for any stakeholder on campus.
Data Analytics: Insights & Optimization
Our time-series database can be visualized with standard tools. This allows us to tailor data dashboards for your exact requirements, including measuring in the planning stage to identify opportunities for automation and savings.
AI Assistant: Three Deployment Models
Choose the AI integration approach that best fits your campus strategy:
We host a simple AI assistant with direct access to PlaceOS modules, enabling natural language queries about spaces, bookings, and building operations.
Connect your current AI solution to PlaceOS via API, allowing your existing interfaces to control spaces and trigger automated experiences seamlessly.
We build a comprehensive AI layer that integrates all digital touchpoints and physical spaces through PlaceOS, eliminating silos between systems and creating a unified campus intelligence platform.
Your Path to a Smart Campus: Flexibility in Implementation
PlaceOS offers unparalleled flexibility in how you approach your smart campus transformation:
"From Scratch" (Leveraging the Core Platform)
For universities with in-house development capabilities or specific, highly unique requirements, you can build entirely custom solutions leveraging the PlaceOS API and SDK. This provides ultimate control and extensibility.
"Meet Halfway" (Customize Turn-Key Solutions)
Start with our robust turn-key interfaces and then customize them to perfectly fit your campus. This offers a balance of speed to deployment and bespoke functionality.
"Full Service" (PlaceOS & Partner Network)
Our team and certified integration partners can provide end-to-end service, from initial consultation and design to deployment, training, and ongoing support.
No matter your starting point or resource availability, PlaceOS provides the tools and support to achieve your smart campus vision.
Choose Your Path: PlaceOS Deployment Models
| Model Type | Description | Best Suited For | Key Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turn-Key Solutions | Pre-configured software and hardware bundles for common campus spaces (e.g., Smart Classrooms, Huddle Rooms) with minimal customization. | Universities seeking rapid deployment, standardized experiences across many rooms, and proven, ready-to-use functionality. | Fast deployment, lower initial cost, immediate value, consistent UX. |
| Customized Solutions | Start with Turn-Key solutions, then tailor interfaces, add specific integrations, and create custom automations to meet unique needs. | Universities with existing infrastructure, specific branding guidelines, or unique operational workflows that require a degree of personalization beyond standard offerings. | Personalized experience, leverages existing assets, optimized workflows. |
| Platform Integration | Develop bespoke applications and integrations using the PlaceOS API/SDK, leveraging your in-house IT/development teams or system integrators. | Universities with strong internal IT capabilities, highly specialized functional requirements, or a desire for complete control over their smart campus ecosystem's development and future evolution. | Ultimate flexibility, deep integration, future-proof custom development, no vendor lock-in. |
| Proof of Concept (PoC) | A small-scale pilot project (e.g., 1-2 rooms) to demonstrate the PlaceOS capabilities and validate the solution for your specific campus. | Universities unsure about a full-scale deployment, looking to test the waters, secure internal buy-in, or validate technical feasibility and user adoption before a larger investment. | Low risk, measurable results, builds confidence, informs larger rollout. |