Aarhus Denmark Exhibition Catalogue
Gernot Tscherteu Morten Constantin Lervig Martin Brynskov (Editors)
Imprint Media Architecture Biennale 2012 Exhibition Catalogue Published by Media Architecture Institute Vienna / Sydney and Aarhus University First edition: 200 pieces Aarhus, Denmark, 2012
Editors: Gernot Tscherteu, Morten Constantin Lervig, Martin Brynskov Research: Petra Hendrich, Wolfgang Leeb Content Management: Petra Hendrich, Tobi Schäfer Art Direction: Stine Sandahl, www.sandahls.net Exhibition Design: Katrin Schoof, www.katrinschoof.de Contact: exhibition@mediaarchitecture.org Š media architecture institute & Aarhus University
Exhibition Catalogue Gernot Tscherteu Morten Constantin Lervig Martin Brynskov (Editors) Media Architecture Biennale 2012 Exhibition at Godsbanen, Aarhus Nov 15 – Dec 15, 2012 Biennale curators: Gernot Tscherteu Morten Constantin Lervig
CONTENT
Content Preface – Biennale Chair Preface – Exhibition Curators Media Architecture Scenes Media Facades – Fundamental Terms and Concepts Project Descriptions Media Architecture Conference 2012 Media Architecture Workshops 2012 Featured partners Credits Editor Biographies
7 9 12 20 28 81 82 84 86 88
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PARTNERS
A project by
Main partners
With the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union
In-Cooperation
Part of European Urban Media Network for Connecting Cities initiated by Public Art Lab in co-organisation with Ars Electronica, Media Architecture Institute, FACT, Amber Platform, Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, m-cult, Medialab-Prado, iMAL, Foundation Riga 2014 and Videospread
Partners and sponsors
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Preface
Preface – Biennale Chair When I was asked if I would chair the Media Architecture Biennale, there was no doubt in my mind: of course. It felt so right, and so exciting, to be giving time and attention to this emerging field right now. Media architecture is the ultimate art and craft of space creation in a digital age. It blends all the possibilities, all the concerns of people who wish to mediate life. To me, media architecture is not about technology. It is about materials that are provisioned to mediate interactions by designing spaces that use specific modalities in order to manifest a certain set of values. Materials can be bricks and mortar, or it can be computer sensors and software, manifest through visualizations and actuators. Interactions can be subtly semiotic or brutally physical. Modalities are only bound by the perceptual apparatus of the entity in the perceiving end, usually a human. That is a very generic definition of media architecture. It stretches the notion of media towards its most physical extremes, while it extends architecture well into the purely non-physical. So in many ways, it is giving up on the task of definition, i.e. precision. On the other hand, to me, this is how media architecture must currently be defined. We see trends and opportunities, failures and unclarity. But when I look at the work that is coming together at the Media Architecture Biennale, I see so much complexity that I am more reluctant to narrow the definition than to open it up. We will of course see consolidation and break-ups, stemming from practice and reflection by the people who gather here. But at this moment, I think it is worthwhile to be a little adventurous and let the boundaries stay in flux, just for a while, and see what emerges. Anyway, that is why I am in this space. To see, to try, to meet, to learn, to reflect, to change. It is a great pleasure to see so many trajectories meet here at the Biennale. Not only for me personally, but also for many of the people behind. It is no coincidence that this event is an important part of the European Urban Media Network for Connecting Cities – just look at the cities and partners involved. These people, together with the many who have submitted their works and who have come to Aarhus, are representing a substantial chunk of what I perceive to be the field of Media Architecture. Having the Media Architecture Biennale in Aarhus, which has now been appointed European Capital of Culture in 2017, consolidates the efforts of this city, Aarhus University and the surrounding region to articulate the “smart city” as a fundamentally cultural transition process. The organization of the biennale has been a concerted effort of a diverse and geographically distributed team. Especially the collaboration between Aarhus University in Denmark and the Media Architecture Institute in Vienna and Sydney has been marked by a deep, shared devotion to creating a forum – a space – for mediating interaction within this field. Both physically and semiotically. The entire organizing committee has gone above and beyond the call of duty to put together the Media Architec-
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Preface
ture Biennale 2012. But without our devoted industry, public and media partners, we would never have been able to make it happen. I thank you deeply for you support and involvement. The fact that the Biennale brings together both architects/designers/artists, industry and academia, is a wonderful point. And reflects back to the broad definition of media architecture. Finally, but by no means least, I want to thank the mortar between the bricks, the wires that connect, the new breed: the fantastic, enthusiastic student volunteers. It is reassuring to see that even if the more seasoned explorers do not readily sort out the mess of this field, new competences and passion is ready to get involved. Martin Brynskov Biennale General Chair
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Preface
Preface – Exhibition Curators This is the third exhibition about media facades and media architecture in a series that has started in 2008 at the German Center for Architecture (DAZ) in Berlin and was continued in 2010 in Künstlerhaus in Wien. A Collection of State of the Art Media Architecture The core task of the exhibition is still the collection of outstanding projects of this new field. We added about 20 new projects to a selection of best projects that have been already shown in 2008 and 2010, so that the exhibition can be regarded as an overview of the last 12 Years with a focus on recent projects. We kept the 5 exhibition sections: • Animated Architecture • Business and Money Architecture • Participatory Architecture (was Social Media Architecture) • Spatial Media Art • Future Trends and Prototypes These sections are described in the introduction “Media Architecture Scenes” within this catalogue. While collecting projects that have been built during the last two years, we realised that there was a shift with regards to the content as well as to the size of the projects: Whereas an avalanche of new Media Facades have been built in Asia and in the Middle East, there was actually no groundbreaking new project in West and Central Europe. This has to do mainly with the economical crisis but we see it also as a sign that after a first enthusiastic reception of the new technical possibilities there is a pause for reflection. Whereas the “monumental” projects are on hold in Europe we are happy to see a lot of small size but very innovative projects. It seems that Media Architecture has become a less expensive and therefore a less “elite” activity. This trend is also demonstrated by a lot of entries into the award. LED have become more affordable and more and more people discover the potential of the technology and apply it for own ideas in the public space. We would love to see Media Architecture as a very popular and everyday activity that everybody can setup him or herself or at least participate in. Besides this core task of collecting the state of the art of Media Architecture we added two new elements: 1. Awards We added the awards because we wanted to create an additional platform for the creatives in the field. A prize is a public acknowledgement of outstanding work that might help creatives in convincing clients, but there is also a social dimension in the award ceremony as it creates an occasion for meeting each other and for celebrating the winners. We are fully aware of the fact that it is not easy to rate projects – but while the jury had the very difficult task of rating individual projects, individual jury members explained their personal quality criteria. Discussions about the project’s quality and value for the public seems to be one of the most important and useful effects of such an event.
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Preface
Therefore a big Thank You to our Award Jury: • Ben Rubin (EAR Studio) • Ava Fatah gen Schieck (The Bartlett, UCL) • Martin Brynskov (Aarhus University) • Morten Lervig (Aarhus University) • M. Hank Haeusler (Media Architecture Institute) • Martin Tomitsch (Media Architecture Institute) • Gernot Tscherteu (Media Architecture Institute) As it should be an open and democratic process to create evaluation and quality criteria, we will do our best to set up an appropriate and hopefully more open and participatory jury process in the coming biennale based on this year’s experience. 2. Outdoor projects The 2012 Biennale extends the exhibition beyond the narrowly curated indoor space out into the surrounding spaces and all the into the city. By adding these installations that go beyond the “core” exhbition, we want to emphasize involvement and dialog. Media architecture is not “just” art, and it is not “just” practical signage or advertising. It is potentially reaching and impacting everyone in a community. Therefore, we also want the exhibition of the Media Architecture Biennale to showcase this kind of participation, and do so in a very open and accessible way in order to involve as many people as possible. That is why we put a lot of effort into facilitating the production of these five original examples of media architecture in the wild, ranging from the iconic Aarhus City Hall Tower (City Bug Report) to a huge, indoor, kinetically interactive space (Spine). In the coming biennales, the element of outdoor or “external” installations will be further pursued and developed. An extraordinary teamwork One of the main goals of Media Architecture Biennale is to provide an open platform that brings together stakeholders from different fields and disciplines: • Architects and media designers • Light industry experts and facade planners • Media, IT and telecommunication experts • Scientists, city planners, and urban administration • City dwellers This is only possible through a close cooperation between the organisers of the different Media Architecture Biennale components: Conference, Workshops and the Exhibition. We really appreciate that form of cooperation that have been mainly built up through regular meetings (on every Monday morning) since March 2012. A special Thank You! to our Biennale Chair Martin Brynskov who lead these meetings in a smart and efficient way.
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Preface
We cordially thank the exhibition team: Petra Hendrich for collecting all the material about the exhibited projects and for never losing the overview – the exhibition would not have been possible without her; Wolfgang Leeb for researching interesting new Media Architecture projects and for designing the exhibition architecture. To our designer Katrin Schoof (Berlin) who has visually designed the exhibitions since 2008 and art director Stine Sandahl (Aarhus) who created the Catalog and the overall Corporate Identity of this year’s Biennale. To Kasper Aae from CAVI at Aarhus University who built and maintained the wonderful 2012 biennale website. To Rolf Bagge and Janus Kristensen, also from CAVI, who updated the digital catalogue that was initially developed in 2010 by Martin Tomitsch, Tobi Schäfer and the iPad Development Team: Bernard Bucalon, Josh McInerheney, Loan Myers, and Oliver Dawson in Sydney. To Louise Kjærgaard for linking the Aarhus and the Vienna teams by collecting essential information and logistic support. To both Louise Kjærgaard and Janne Bach Sørensen who coordinated the many student volunteers. To all the student volunteers for devoting time and energy to keep the wheels running. To Peter Friis, Henrik Korsgaard and Lasse Vestergaard at CAVI for putting many pieces of the practical production together. Furthermore, we are deeply grateful for the work that journalist Mette Stentoft has done to make everyone know about the Media Architecture Biennale 2012, and to Gitte Grønning Munk who took care of bookings and a zillion other things. Our very special thanks go to professor Kim Halskov, director of CAVI and co-director of PIT at Aarhus University. The engagement and continued support from both him personally and the two research centers have been the foundation for this year’s biennale. Also, without Tobias Ebsen, the biennale would not have come to Aarhus. It was his idea, and as a member of both CAVI and MAI he was the man in the middle. A heartfelt thanks to our sponsors and partners who have made this exhibition possible by contributing essential funds, equipment, coverage and support. We hope that we can intensify our partnership especially with industry in the future. Finally, we would like to thank all the creatives, experts and professionals that have submitted projects and that have sent us their texts, photos and videos. Please help us in improving the Media Architecture Biennale and send your proposals, critique and ideas to exhibition@mediaarchitecture.org. Thank you! Gernot Tscherteu Morten Constantin Lervig
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Media Architecture Scenes
Media Architecture Scenes Author: Dr. Gernot Tscherteu, Vienna 2010
What is Media Architecture? Currently there are three different terms that appear quite often and are closely related to each other: • Urban Screens • Media Facades • Media Architecture Their different impacts on public space and the way they are perceived is in my understanding directly derived from the relationship between the screen element and the architecture behind it. I personally understand Urban Screens as large scale screens that are attached to building facades without worrying too much about the integration of both parts. The screen and the building behind it remain two separated layers in the technical sense as well as in terms of communication. Each layer communicates for itself and in most cases the Urban Screen is more dominant because of its brightness and the moving images on it. It is quite easy to move Urban Screens from one place to another. In some cases, like e.g. in the case of giant billboards along freeways, a building is not needed at all. The Urban Screen becomes an independent architectonic element – with a single purpose: to communicate. In order to reach this goal Urban Screens follow the streams of traffic and adjust to their target group with respect to size, height, resolution and direction.1 In the last ten years there have been considerable efforts made by architects, media designers and technology experts to bring both layers – screens and buildings – closer together if not integrating them into a new hybrid structure commonly referred to as a Media Facade. Media Facades are facades with integrated light sources (or kinetic elements) and network infrastructures for distributing power and data. If this integration is successful, it is no longer the screen on a building that communicates with its surrounding, but rather the building as a whole. Although from a technical perspective the image production still takes place on certain parts of the facade, this is irrelevant for the perception of the building. In the eye of the spectator the single pixels are merged into one large image. Therefore the design goal is in most cases to make the whole building, not only single parts of it, communicate with the public. Therefore we consider the term “Media Architecture” to be more appropriate. „Media Facades“ seems to be the appropriate term to describe the technical implementation on a building surface whereas the term „Media Architecture“ is more appropriate to describe the interaction between a building – or any other spatial structure – as a whole and the audience in the public space.2 A desired side effect of the term Media Architecture is its ambiguity: You can understand it in two different forms: a. as architecture that has a media function as it communicates with it surroundings and b. as architecture (in the sense of layout) of a media setup that consists of software, computer and other hardware and a spatial structure (a building) – analogue to how the term “software architecture” is commonly used. As Media Architecture is a hybrid form combining features of the digital as well as of the physical space, both meanings simply reflect the fact that it is no longer possible – and no longer useful – to determine which of the two sides is “more important”. Does the media aspect support the physical appearance of the building or is the building – its shape and its facade – simply a function of its communicative goals?
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Media Architecture Scenes
To summarize: Media Architecture has one or more of the following features: • They form a combination of Architecture (physical spatial structure) and Media (Images produced on the surface or within the structure of the architecture). • Media content forms a central part of the project. • It is mostly displayed by a rather large number of integrated light sources (In some cases also by kinetic elements). • Content is electronically produced. • Content is in many cases not abstract but readable or “watchable” and creates a dialogue between the building and the spectator. • In many projects the installation provides different forms of interaction which allow inhabitants and passers-by to influence the content or even upload user-generated media, such as imagery or text. • Media Architecture is highly relevant for cityscape and urban atmosphere. From all the above features the first one seems to be the most important one. Architecture and Display must merge into something new that is more than the sum of both parts. This hybrid form certainly has some forerunners in theater performances, baroque festivities or sacral buildings but the existence of LED and other advanced displays certainly marks a decisive step as the surface of architecture became permanently changeable and a means of communication that goes beyond the symbolic communication which has always been a part of the perception of architecture. To repeat: Media Architecture goes beyond symbolic representation. It does not only stand for certain values or for the power of the building owner but it is furthermore able to express “speech acts” that very much resemble interpersonal communication in their speed and with regards to the amount of transmitted information – and in fact it is not the building that “talks” but a commissioned team of designers who makes the building “talk” and who defines the content that is communicated. As one can see in the different scenes below in this text there are various types of motivation for designers, building owners and other stakeholders to create media architecture and to make it “talk” in specific ways. Nevertheless one must not reduce Media Architecture to “just a new communication channel”. It is more appropriate to see it as physical representation (or artefact) of a web of interactions that pervades different levels of human life: Living and working in this architecture, commissioning, planning and building it as well as walking or driving in the city and looking at it. It is necessary to see the whole “interactive sphere” around the building itself in order to understand that it is not a neutral channel for communication but is itself an expression of that communication. It is probably the only visible part but nevertheless the team of designers has to also take into consideration the other parts of the system, in order to understand the “meaning” of what is going on. As in every other cultural setting, meaning is not an inherent feature of a certain artifact but it is something that is produced by the interaction around it. We are therefore not only looking at the artefacts (the buildings and installations themselves) but also at the cultural environment in which the production of these artifacts takes place. Scene 1: Animated Architecture This area is dominated by architects and architecture remains the definitive reference system in this scene. Dynamic media elements are used intentionally – not to dissolve the architecture but to shape it in a contemporary way. The works by realities:united and UNStudio in particular do not intend on making architecture the carrier of new media technology, but architecture, more than ever, is the medium itself. Because of the fact that architecture has always had a medial function, we have to explain the relationship between the building and its medial effect more precisely: While in the past the representative architecture often had the
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Media Architecture Scenes
function of expressing money, power, or spiritual glamour, it is now mainly about representing “communication” itself. A building and its users are of public importance if they are subject or rather: instruments of communication. This is not mainly related to the content which is sent via media facades and it is also not so much about transforming buildings into a dynamic visual medium, but it is primarily concerned with the architecture’s participation in the reproduction of media society. Architecture should take a central position in media society. The content, which is communicated via the facade, is usually very dependent on the facade’s structure – oftentimes we only have very low resolution and extremely limited colour space at our disposal, which results in very limited options for content. Even with the most professional curating and the greatest artistic charisma, the media facade’s respective aesthetics remain a very restrictive parameter for the designer. The architecture dominates the show.3 In most cases, the amount of pixels is not enough to present very detailed images, but it is enough to give the building a specific look-and-feel and to stage the building in the cityscape. The facade, and with it also the building, becomes dynamically changeable and that is why we find the term “animated architecture” appropriate. The artistic possibilities for architecture that arise from this are still hard to grasp. Therefore many architects see the integration of pixels into the facade as a threat to architecture instead of seeing it as an expansion of architecture. These facades were to some extent incorporated at a later point and the architects were not very happy about it. Nonetheless, at the end of the day some of these projects can be considered successful, as long as the content allows for the architecture or at least the facade’s shape. In the projects by realities:united and UNStudio the pixel takes a central position. The building’s identity seems to derive directly from the pixel, as can be seen in projects like Crystal Mesh, UEC Iluma, Galleria Seoul, and Star Place. The surface and the space which is enclosed by the surface often seem to be built around the pixel. In all of the cases mentioned above, the pixel works – in an architectonic sense – even if the facade is not illuminated. This is an attribute that emphasizes the pixel’s architectonic relevance and must not be underestimated. Therefore the arrangement of the pixel, its technical realization and its relationship to the surface and to the building are the main challenges in this area. It is an urgent demand to closely match the content to the architecture, but unfortunately contractors do not always completely understand this demand. Scene 2: Business and Money Architecture As can be inferred from the title, money plays the primary role in this area which consists of three rather different fields of application: a. banks and insurance companies b. shopping centres c. casinos Naturally all three areas serve the purpose of taking a prominent position within the cityscape by means of media facades. However, the way of doing so differs in each area. In banking representation is most important, shopping centres mainly focus on glamour and casinos are all about the appealing visual flirtation á la slot machines. But we get the feeling that all three areas are about “money in motion” and that the moving light represents this cash flow. This is done intentionally, at least in the Asian context, where Feng shui plays an important role – in the European and American context even the most expensive media facades could not affect the bank crisis. The Lehman Brothers Inc.’s media facade could not save this company and Dexia got into a lot of trouble despite its cool headquarters in
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Media Architecture Scenes
Brussels. Dexia finally took its media facade out of service, as as sign of humility.4 We believe that banks want to withdraw from the initial media facade boom to a sedated, less vivid designs. Brightness and dominance in the cityscape will remain but in the content slowness, sedateness, and understatement will prevail to radiate seriousness. The danger of confusing banks with casinos is already, even without media facades, great enough. In shopping malls and casinos we see considerably more need for motion, colourfulness, and glamour. Here we see increasingly complex light effects – especially in the interior – which on the one hand go beyond an abstract projection and on the other hand also have an illusion-like effect: A ceiling equipped with LEDs simulates a canopy of leaves, withdrawing clouds, etc… Inevitably baroque churches come to mind. Money Architecture, similar to baroque churches, tends to produce pseudo-images or rather pseudo-spatial structures (cf. “simulacrum” as with Jean Baudrillard).5 Elaborate frescos on the walls and ceilings of baroque churches should create a state of rapture. By the use of artistic and architectonic means not only the distinctiveness of this place but also something like a spiritual mood should be instilled to prepare oneself for this place and its significance. One should feel closer to God: the heavens open up – and you would like to cling to the heels of a plump angel and rise up... Now I wonder what the LED walls and ceilings in retail heaven are trying to tell us? In principle the intention is the same: preparing customers for the importance of the place – the function of light and media installations is to put the customer in the right mood to spend their money. Similar to baroque churches, shopping centers and casinos remove people from their daily experiences and consciously aim at creating a specific mode of awareness – the final goal is to put the customer into “shopping” or “gambling mode”. A series of architectonically high-grade shopping malls prove that Money Architecture and Animated Architecture do not necessarily contradict each other. The danger that media facades on shopping malls are filled with commercial content and advertisements, is according to experience very high – although, as mentioned above, they already, due to their low resolution, are often not suitable for such use. Scene 3: Participatory Architecture In “Participatory Architecture” the user plays the main role. They are provided with an interactive interface, which allows them to communicate with the building and beyond that with the residents of a city. The designer’s primary task is to create a medium in which the building’s display-installation will be complemented by a series of input methods. Probably the most well-known project in this area, “Blinkenlights”, offered a series of tools, which allowed the user to create simple images, animations and “love letters” as well as to register for “sending” their mini-message onto the screen. After the curator’s approval the content could be activated via text message. In this area media artists like the Chaos Computer Club (Blinkenlights) or Lab[au] (Dexia Tower) are the major players to date. To my knowledge, before that one of the first installation in this area was the project Marnix by Magic Monkey and only recently I found out that already in 1998 a project called „click SCAPE 98“ by „Stadtwerkstatt“took place in Linz and in a way„invented“ the aesthetics of this genre.6 Out of all these areas, I suspect Participatory Architecture to be most likely to set positive impulses for the social interaction within cities – like a positive sense of community or a “we-feeling”, which could fight the city’s latent tendencies of social distance and marginalisation. Projects like Marnix or Blinkenlights have the potential to create
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Media Architecture Scenes
individual moments of belonging, which occur on a personal level rather than on the “mass” level. At the Media Facades Conference in 2008 in Berlin we asked our panel if new impulses for media architecture could have emerged from the social media boom and if hybrid structures will arise and penetrate our urban space with new social media formats. I still see the possibilities for these media formats – but, speaking from my own experience, I know that there are at least two reasons for the difficulties of innovative projects. First, the corporate groups decide centrally on big budget projects and it is not easy to advance into these central areas. Second, in light of Social Media’s current development, the question arises which content can be transported in this way and if the value of communication is in danger of being destroyed by an inflation of options for communication. Despite these restrictions, I see great potential in this area. Soon we will certainly see corresponding innovative campaigns which will also include interactive media architecture. If these, however, turn out to be concepts which represent enrichment to the urban space, like Blinkenlights, remains to be seen. Maybe the much-cited “Corporate Social Responsibility” is the right approach to convince corporate groups to use famous campaigns with big budgets to combine their own brand with central social values, like for example “tolerance” or “sustainability”. Projects in the area of “Participatory Architecture” would certainly be a good medium. In any case, projects in this area reach a level of complexity which can hardly be surpassed, because, as we have seen, this is not only about the production of a certain artefact (like e.g. of a media facade) but it is about creating a balanced communicative interface which contains various tools (web, mobiles,…) and their aligned patterns of behaviour. To do so one has to not only overcome a series of technical challenges but also the basic problem that human behaviour and social patterns can only be predicted and planned to a minor extent. Whoever deals with Participatory Architecture projects, should be aware that they will not be designing facades and content but in the end they will create a social medium in which interaction takes place. The users’ behaviour and interaction between the users is more important than the concrete objects. Generally, it is significantly more productive to develop a creative frame for new forms of interaction than to reduce them upfront content-wise to a limited set of desired behavioural patterns.7 Scene 4: Spatial Media Art Since media art is formed and absorbed in a completely different context than architecture, in this scene, it is more likely to conduct experiments and to pursue avant-garde approaches. Artists are rarely compelled to design the prototype of new building surfaces and displays, however, the area of media art can still offer important impulses for built architecture. In this case it is not so much about new technical solutions but much more about aesthetic experiments, e.g. the spatial impact of three-dimensional displays or the combination of luminous spots with kinetic elements. Interestingly enough, many protagonists in this area have studied architecture – others approach this area via video art or the computer sciences. Lab[au]’s, White Void’s, and Aether Architecture’s projects were chosen because their technical innovations do not end in themselves, but always lead to aesthetical innovations. The playful and experimental use of technology and aesthetics gives rise to astonishing results and presents an important source of inspiration for other areas of media architecture. Scene 5: Future Trends and Protoypes 3D Media Architecture 3D in the film and video branch is currently experiencing a boom – and not for the first time. But as long as there
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Media Architecture Scenes
is no “without 3D-glasses” – solution, this technology will have to be relegated to a niche existence – however, this niche definitely has growth potential. Architecture’s main advantage is that it is intrinsically three-dimensional. Media facades add another dimension by creating moving images. The facade can take on various colours and images. The projects presented in this section go a step further. These are projects where luminous spots are not only arranged 2-dimensionally, as it is the case with most facades, but they are arranged in 3-dimensional space. This much is clear: so far no display seems to be able to produce 3-dimensional images that withstand stereoscopy – but comparisons like this are not very productive. 3-dimensinal displays are so fascinating because they demonstrate a few basic characteristics of space – especially the endless formability and the openness for any shape. In this way, 3-dimensinal displays often have a meditative effect; one tends to get lost in their playful colours, without paying attention to any concrete visual content. Abstract content generally suits 3D displays better than objects and people do. The displayed concrete images or bodies suffer from the typically low resolution and from the fact that part of the display is being concealed by the surrounding pixels – even if these pixels are neither part of the image nor illuminated. A higher resolution is no solution – but rather the opposite. As long as pixels are visible and have their own cubic expansion, the problem remains. All in all, three-dimensional displays like “Nova” are fascinating animated spatial structures which particularly have an impact on our senses and perception. Another series of projects in this category encompasses kinetic facades. Kinetic elements in the facade are nothing new, but what is new is the demand to use them to express – at least abstract – media content. The projects’ artistic options and impressions are breathtaking, but unfortunately the technological challenges regarding lifespan and maintenance are still considerable, so that in the end a luminous solution is often preferred for re-vitalizing a building’s surface. Conclusion The above described scenes make clear that a segmentation already has taken place mainly according to the different targets Media Architecture projects are aiming at. It makes clear that many projects have mainly economical purposes whereas others are specifically interested in the communication within urban space. Media artist may be mainly interested inventing new forms of interactions, whereas many architects are fascinated by the aesthetical impact of media facades. None of these different positions is true or false by itself – it always depends on expectations and priorities. It seems as if everybody needs to decide for himself / herself about personal expectations and priorities. For this reason we primarily dedicate our work in the Media Architecture Institute to the discourse surrounding these breathtaking projects and generally, we try to use the same method which we also happen to find most suitable for almost every design process. We must not concentrate only on technology and the buildings themselves but we have to centre our attention on the interaction between the various stakeholders: • architects and media designers • light industry experts and facade planners • media and telecommunication experts • scientists, city planners, and urban administration • city dwellers
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MEDIA ARCHITECTURE SCENES
It is our mission, as the Media Architecture Institute, to design suitable media in the form of events and other tools, so that stakeholders are able to exchange opinions, develop new projects and – maybe most importantly – to establish new values and standards for the assessment of projects and their social impact. Despite all the oppositions and differences, which we neither want to nor are able to overcome, in this discourse we can at least expect personal development and inspiration as well as mutual recognition of motives and accomplishments. We encourage everyone involved and anyone who is interested in this topic to continue participating in the discourse and to help us promoting it in the public.
Sources: Medienarchitektur, Arch+ 149 150, Ag4, ag4-mediafacades, Daab 2006 Jean Baudrillard, Laßt euch nicht verführen, Berlin: Merve 1983 Friedrich von Borries (Ed.), Steffen P. Walz (Ed.), Matthias Böttger (Ed.) Space Time Play: Synergies Between Computer Games, Architecture and Urbanism, Birkhäuser Architektur 2007 Lucy Bullivant, Responsive Environments: Architecture, Art and Design, Victoria & Albert Museum 2006 Lucy Bullivant, 4dsocial: Interactive Design Environments, Wiley 2007 Ava Fatah Gen. Schieck, Media Screens – Urban Environments as a Medium of Communication, Mediamatic May 2007, http://www. slideshare.net/revi.kornmann/media-screens/ zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008. Matthias Hank Häusler, Media Facades: History, Technology, Content, Av Edition 2009 Matthias Hank Häusler, Chromatophoric ArchItecture: Designing for 3 D Media Façades; Jovis 2010 Matthias Hank Häusler, Spatial Dynamic Media System: Amalgam of form and image through use of a 3D light-point matrix to deliver a content-driven zone in real-time, VDM Verlag Dr. Müller 2010 Andy Jörder, Improve Your City’s Appearance – Medienfassaden in urbanen Brennpunkten Diplomarbeit. http://www.nd80.de/portfolio/ pdf/IYCA_Screen.pdf, zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008 Christoph Kronhagel, Mediatektur, Springer 2010 Thorsten Klooster; Smart Surfaces – and their Application in Architecture and Design, Birkhäuser Architektur 2009 Scott McQuire The Media City: Media, Architecture and Urban Space, Sage Publications Ltd. 2010 Joachim Sauter, Das vierte Format: Die Fassade als medialeHaut der Architektur; 2004, http://netzspannung.org/cat/servlet/CatServlet/$files/273668/sauter.pdf, zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008 Susanne Jaschko / Joachim Sauter, Mediale Oberflächen – Me-
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diatektur als integraler Bestandteil von Architektur und Identität stiftende Maßnahme im urbanen Raum, ublished in Arch+, Nr 180, Convertible City, Sept 2006, official exhibition catalogue of the German Pavillion at the 10th Bienale of Architecture in Venice, Italy. http://www.sujaschko.de/downloads/256/Mediatektur zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008 Christa Sommerer (Ed.), Lakhmi C. Jain (Ed.), Laurent Mignonneau (Ed.), The Art and Science of Interface and Interaction Design: v. 1 (Studies in Computational Intelligence) Robert Venturi, Steven Azenour, Learning from Las Vegas, Revised Edition: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form, Mit Press; Revised. 1977 Alexander Wahl, Wandelbare (mediale) Gebäudefassaden, 20.01.2002, 2008; http://www.alexanderwahl.de/dateien/medienfassaden/medienfassaden.html zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008 Notes for more approaches of defining Urban Screens see: Urban Screens Reader Editors: Scott McQuire, Meredith Martin and Sabine Niederer http://www.networkcultures.org/_uploads/US_layout_01022010.pdf 2 For more introductions have a look at Häusler 2009, Häusler 2010a, Häusler 2010b, Kronhagel 2010 3 Generally this is more easily achieved in cultural buildings than in department stores. (The UNStudio projects Galleria and Star Place are department stores.) 4 „Due to the economic and financial crisis, the lighting of the Dexia Tower has been drastically reduced.“ (http://www.dexia-towers. com/index_e.php) 5 Baudrillard 1983 6 Please inform me if you know a project before „click SCAPE 98“ 7 For an excellent introduction into this cross-over topic see Borries 2007, 1
Media FACADES
Media Facades: Fundamental terms and concepts Author: Dr. Gernot Tscherteu, Berlin, 2008 Research: DI Wolfgang Leeb
Media facades create utterly new connections between digital space on the one hand and architecture and urban space on the other hand. Never before was there an interface between the physical and the digital world, which was public to such an extent, that it appeals not only to individual users, as in the case of a personal computer, but also to whole groups or even to a whole urban population and that furthermore also allows to “reply”, i.e. to interact with a facade or to design its content. In this case, a powerful potential for design and effectivity is created, involving a range of chances and risks that are difficult to estimate and that require thorough discussion. The producers and the users of media facades equally face a range of challenges, and it will need time for fully differentiated opinions and positions to evolve from the discourse which is just taking shape. This exhibition has been conceived in a way that it supports this essential discourse by collecting relevant projects, looking behind the “facades”, and by making apparent their materiality and technical structure. Certainly a more refined technical understanding will be helpful for developing a more differentiated attitude to media facades. One of the purposes of the following introductory text is to demonstrate the range of technical characteristics that have a substantial influence on the visual experience, but also on the interactivity and the “urban value” of media architecture. Media facades elude a classification into mutually exclusive categories and therefore it is more meaningful to discuss their most important characteristics (display technology, translucency, interaction, …) and to demonstrate that the individual projects presented in the exhibition base themselves on quite similar elements of design, but interpret these very differently and thus vary from each other. Thus, in the diagram below, a media facade will not only be classified concerning only one element, but it will take a place in relation to every single one of these characteristics. The so-called media facades are simply good examples for the relevant characteristic, but naturally they also exhibit other characteristics and would eventually also serve as good examples in those places. It is not the point to rigidly classify media facades and media architecture, but to have a set of terms at hand in order to be in a better position to compare and discuss them. Earlier attempts of classification and disambiguation that have partly found their way into my work are not to remain unmentioned and are cited in the sources.
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Display technology The handling of light serves as the best starting point for technological consideration: Does the facade actively emit light, or does it create images through mechanical movement at the surface of the building? Kinetic and even static media facades obviously also work with light – albeit in a passive way. They use sunlight or ambient light and modulate it in order to create surface effects and image information. Examples for this are the projects Flare or Daisyworld. There is a range of technologies for the production of light on media facades (LED, fluorescence, …), and likewise there are different methods to move mechanic parts: from compressed air, to servodrives or the simple use of wind energy. A special case is demonstrated by projected facades): the do not generate light by themselves. The surface of the building is used as projected area and the projection occurs from the outside onto the building surface, or alternatively from the inside onto translucent areas (windows in most cases), which are thereby converted to screens. In this exhibition we have disregarded projected facades – mainly because our topic is the smooth integration of the display into the architecture and this embraces projections only in exceptional cases. Of course this point of view is subjective and vulnerable. Image properties What are the properties of the image created by the media facade? Resolution: Of how many pixels is the image composed? The spectrum is enormous – some examples: Blinkenlights 144 pixels, UNIQA about 160.000, Grand Lisboa over 1 Million pixels. A larger number of pixels does not necessarily improve the quality of the image – Blinkenlights shows how much is possible with very few pixels – but definitely a higher resolution allows for sharper and more detailed pictures, if needed. Pixel pitch: How big are the pixels and how far are they located apart from each other, taken from their center. Diffusion: The size of the individual pixels has a big effect on the observer. It is possible to turn light sources as small as a couple of millimetres (like LEDs) into pixels of the size of one meter through the use of diffusion surface – as in the case of Galleria Store in Seoul. The luminosity or light power of a lamp is dispersed into a larger area through the diffusion, but its luminance or light density is thereby reduced. Distance from the observer: There is a direct relation between this property and those of pixel pitch and diffusion, because the bigger the pixel pitch or the pixels, the farther away one has to be from the picture in order not only to see single dots, but to recognize a meaningful overall picture. Viewed from up close, interesting abstract light effects may result from this fact. Brightness: The techniques mentioned under the point „Display technology” are highly variable in respect to brightness. Of all the active displays, only LED is bright enough to persist in direct sunlight. However, some kinetic facades (like Flare) skilfully take advantage of the sunlight. During the night, too much brightness may turn into a drawback, since it affects residents and traffic. Colour depth / Tone: Depending on the technology, more or less colours are at one’s disposal. Reduction to fewer colours (like in the case of BIX, SPOTS, Blinkenlights or Chanel in Tokyo) may also be used as stylistic device. LED allows for a production of colour spaces with millions of colours.
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Integration of the display into the building Integration is a vital point for the assessment of media facades – a decisive characteristic („differentia specifica”) for the acknowledgement of something as media facade or not. Without integration, the display seems fitted and constitutes its own level of meaning, which seems detached from the building. If a display has been integrated well into the building or its facade, then these two merge into something new – what we refer to as media architecture. In addition to the constructive integration, the content may also be customized with respect to the building and emphasize the unity of display and building. Since the integration of building and display is not simply a superficial characteristic that is restricted to the facade, I here find the term media architecture more suitable and more comprehensive. The following speaks in favor of the term media architecture: The media concept can not only include the facade, but also the room lighting and thereby reaches from the surface into the depths of the building. Spatial and medial structures overlap, so that communicative processes may evolve, which may not only occur on the surface of the building, but also inside, in the public sphere around the building and finally also – spatially unrestricted – in electronic media. The term “architecture” makes advances to this, since it is also open to non-spatial structures and processes – and exactly that is what many of the successful projects are about. In some cases, successful integration may also be accomplished when the building has already been constructed and the media facade is designed and installed only afterwards (UNIQA is a good example for this). As a general rule, successful media architectures emerge especially when all factors that have been regarded here are considered already in planning and are interwoven to a coherent concept. The relationship of the terms “media facade” and “media architecture” is not substantially different from the relationship of “facade” to “architecture”. Facade refers to surface and all of the functions that are part of a surface: protection, climatisation, representation, and so on. Architecture on the other hand is a substantially wider term and refers to the whole range and depth of spatial structures and functions. Moreover, this term is often used also in reference to non-spatial structures – see for example “software architecture”. Permanent / temporary Closely connected to the issue of integration is the question of the durability of a media facade installation. One should generally suppose that permanent installations should yield better results, because more planning and money is spent on these. In practice there are many exceptions to this assumption: the most convincing being Blinkenlights, and also many show facades of concerts and events are quite successful (Asian Games, for example). In this context, successful installations with artistic content (like SPOTS) are also not to be forgotten. Dimensionality Another aspect of “integration” is dimensionality. Since buildings usually are spacious and not simply flat structures, obviously media facades should also have a spatial effect. Only in uncommon and extraordinary cases will it be possible and meaningful for a display to take up the entire three-dimensional space of a building, since this could easily lead to problems with the occupants. There are already many concepts that include the room lighting of a building into the projection. As long as there are no occupants in the house, projection into the depth of the building is thus possible – but it is temporally restricted to a couple days every year and a few hours every day. More common, so far, are “2.5 D” projections. 2,5 D means that media facades are not restricted to only one surface, but flow around edges of buildings (Galleria) , or extend to spherical surfaces (UNIQA and Grand Lisboa). In this way, all-around-projections and striking spatial effects are possible. A good example for a true three-dimensional display is the Nova installation inside the train station in Zürich.
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Transmitted light / Phantom view (Transparency / Translucency) There are various points in which media facades may come into conflict with other functions of the building. The most important ones concern light and energy (for energy see below, sustainability). With respect to light the issue at stake is that components of a media facade cover parts of the surface of the building. Sometimes there is not enough daylight reaching into the inside of the building, sometimes there is none at all, and so the use of the subjacent space as office space is no longer possible. For this reason, various approaches have been taken to reduce the light-emitting parts and to maximize their luminosity. The properties of LEDs serve these goals well and thus they are increasingly integrated into facade components like cover caps and louvers for sun protection so that they subduct only a small amount of daylight. In other cases, occupants are completely unimpaired by the media facade. There certainly is a logical conflict between the performance of transmitted light and the resolution or the pixel pitch also in those cases, where the lighting socket is integrated into the facade. In order to attain higher resolution or to reduce pixel pitch between rows of pixels, the facade grid has to be adjusted accordingly, or alternatively louvers for sun protection or similar components need to be placed in front of the facade, which necessarily impairs the performance of daylight. Satisfying solutions are especially achieved through the use of forward-spaced components with integrated lighting sockets, which equally feature a high quality image and high quality usage. From the point of view of the occupant, it is not only important for him to receive enough daylight, but also that he enjoys an unobstructed view. A facade may be translucent, but not transparent, as in the case of the Chanel building in Tokyo, where building film was used as diffusion layer. Obviously, one of the designer’s goals in this case was to dissolve the individual lighting sockets into lighting areas using Privalite-glass, and to thereby create image effects that strongly resemble fabric. The magnificent effect of the image in this case really is at the cost of the occupants, who cannot clearly see outside during operation. The diffusion layer furthermore has the effect that part of the light is reflected inside the building as scattered light. Therefore, a blind is lowered as soon as the display operates. This contributes to the further impairment of the room’s quality. Blinds are also used in order to screen the room lighting from the outside, i.e. to separate those two levels of light – inside and on the media facade. Energy consumption – sustainability In time of increasing energy consumption, which not only leads to high costs but also to conflicts evolving around distribution, one cannot keep quiet about the fact that media facades consume energy – quite much in some cases. The consumption depends on the effectiveness of the illuminants, as well as on their number and luminosity. LEDs are very effective, but if they are used in high numbers (in some projects way beyond one million units), then their consumption levels accumulate or square. The brighter, the bigger the total area and the more densely packed the pixels are, the higher is the energy consumption. Acute cases involve competing with sunlight and operating displays during the day and under direct sunlight. We will not have to wait long for discussion to come up about the meaningfulness of such projections. Here, as in other cases, one will have to compare costs and benefit, and relevant in this case has to be what is justifiable to society, not simply what a big company can afford. Since the issue of energy seems to essentially involve problems of distribution, one can not categorically speak of what is justifiable and what is not. If enough energy is available on the spot, for example due to the utilization of sun power, argumentation will be facilitated, as in the case of Greenpix. Furthermore, one should clearly keep in mind that besides the operation, other phases of the lifecycle of a display also have to be included in an ecological balance sheet, like its production and disposal. Media content and the building This concerns the issue whether or not the projection of a facade takes into account the building as spatial struc-
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ture or the local environment. This is another case which is closely related to the integration of the display into the building. Even if a smooth integration has been accomplished, the projection still may not establish a relation to the building. In my opinion, one can not speak of a relation even if the logo or the products of the building’s proprietor are included in the projection. Such a relation in terms of content make sense in some cases, but it should not only regard the corporate identity of the company, but also take into account the shape of the building. In a successful master plan, all three components – identity, architecture and projection – should be balanced and considered in advance. It doesn’t seem purposeful to me, if media facades refer to content that is in no relation to the building, its occupants and the place where it is located – a case often found in poor advertisements. If, on the other hand, the above mentioned components are equally balanced, not only successful media architecture may arise, but also a strong advertising effect. In the process of design and evaluation of advertisement on buildings, it is often forgotten that the value is not only to be judged by the number of people witnessing the projection, but also by how it affects the people’s perception of the building. Often there is more benefit for the proprietor, if attention is successfully drawn to balanced media architecture, as in the case of the UNIQA-building, than in cases of a permanent projection of his logo. The building thereby turns into a landmark, a part of everyday urban perception that one gets accustomed to and after some time does not want to miss. The benefit that a proprietor (or renter) may derived from a media facade consists less in short-term advertising effects and more in long-term relationships and identifications that may arise between pedestrians and the projected building. This value is not as easily quantifiable as that of advertising spots, but it is still there and highly estimated. Certainly every form of projection of media facades – be it for advertising purposes or a purely artistic projection – requires a lot of expertise and experience, because, as we have seen above, they differ so much from ordinary screen effects in many respects (like resolution, pixel pitch and brightness) and require much sensitivity for architecture and urban space. Interaction By far the biggest potential for the identification of occupants with media architecture consists in an interactive media concept. The projection of Blinkenlights in Berlin, for example, is well documented. Here, the “users” were given different possibilities to communicate with the building itself, or with other inhabitants of Berlin. On the one hand, clips containing simple animations or text messages of the user could be sent to the façade – love messages were very popular in this case. On the other hand, one could even play “Pong” via cell phone interfaces. During “normal operation”, Blinkenlights automatically performed a predefined playlist of user-generated animations. One could discontinue the programme via cellphone, in order to play Pong either alone or together, or to activate a previously uploaded love letter. Rendering could be temporally timed through the submission of an activation key via cell phone, so that the message would perfectly suit a romantic moment with one’s loved one. It is obvious that through very personal moments like these, where one self plays the leading part on the media facade, a particular intense form of identification is established. These are unique experiences, which stay in one’s memory and are closely associated with a particular place. What more could a proprietor expect, than for the residents and visitors of a city to feel personally connected to his building? The website and public access to the software played an important part in the formation of a community around Blinkenlights. The users conceived of themselves as part of the medium and had tools at their disposal, with which they could create concrete and meaningful messages. They turned into active designers of media content and thus accepted Blinkenlights as THEIR medium. Outlook The enormous development of consumer generated media in Web 2.0, and within that the boom of social networks like Myspace and Facebook, allows for the assumption that there is an enormous potential for applications which create social networks around media architecture, and which thereby will lead to further penetration of physical and virtual space. Here, new media formats will be created, which will presuppose a high level of
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interdisciplinarity on the part of the designers and which have the possibility of producing very innovative urban experiences. Certainly the projects of this exhibition can not be sufficiently described with the characteristics presented above. Especially the social and urban aspects of media architecture need further engagement and defy an all too technical description. We are aware that much work needs to be done in this domain. Possibly an exhibition may not even be as appropriate a format as a broadly based discourse of protagonists and experts and so we hope that the establishment of this discourse on a broad basis will be successful and that this exhibition has nevertheless provided qualified illustrative material and solid basic knowledge for this purpose.
Gernot Tscherteu Media Architecture Institute
Sources: Alexander Wahl, Wandelbare (mediale) Gebäudefassaden, 20.01.2002, 2008; http://www.alexanderwahl.de/dateien/medienfassaden/medienfassaden.html zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008 Susanne Jaschko / Joachim Sauter, Mediale Oberflächen – Mediatektur als integraler Bestandteil von Architektur und Identität stiftende Maßnahme im urbanen Raum, published in Arch+, Nr 180. Convertible City, Sept 2006, official exhibition catalogue of the German Pavillion at the 10th Bienale of Architecture in Venice, Italy. http://www.sujaschko.de/downloads/256/Mediatektur zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008 Joachim Sauter, Das vierte Format: Die Fassade als medialeHaut der Architektur; 2004, http://netzspannung.org/cat/servlet/CatServlet/$files/273668/sauter.pdf, zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008
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Andy Jörder, Improve Your City’s Appearance – Medienfassaden in urbanen Brennpunkten Diplomarbeit. http://www.nd80.de/portfolio/ pdf/IYCA_Screen.pdf, zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008 Ava Fatah Gen. Schieck, Media Screens – Urban Environments as a Medium of Communication, Mediamatic May 2007, http://www. slideshare.net/revi.kornmann/media-screens/ zuletzt geprüft: 5. Oktober 2008. Lucy Bullivant, 4dsocial: Interactive Design Environments, Wiley 2007 Lucy Bullivant, Responsive Environments: Architecture, Art and Design, Victoria & Albert Museum 2006 Ag4, ag4-mediafacades, Daab 2006 Medienarchitektur, Arch+ 149 150 Media Facades, Berlin, 2008 http:\\www.Mediaarchitecture.org
Project descriptions
Project descriptions This section presents the projects included in the exhibition of the Media Architecture Biennale 2012, November 15 – December 15 at Godsbanen in Aarhus, Denmark. Each project is categorised according to the five “scenes” introduced in the section “Media Architecture Scenes”, indicated by the letters A through E. The outdoor projects shown in Aarhus during the biennale is a separate category, F. The ordering is alphabetical, except for the outdoor projects which are collected at the end.
A
Animated Architecture
B
Business and Money Architecture
C
Participatory Architecture (was Social Media Architecture)
D
Spatial Media Art
E
Future Trends and Prototypes
F
Outdoor projects shown during Media Architecture Biennale 2012
The exhibition catalogue also exists in a dynamic version which is continuously being updated. It is available for free in two forms, as iPad app and online: • Media Architecture Compendium for iPad (Apple App Store) • http://catalog.mediaarchitecture.org
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Project descriptions
AEC - Ars Electronica Center
A
Linz, 2008
B
The existing Ars Electronica Center and the new extension are connected to form one unit to be perceived as an ensemble. The crystal-like appearance generates a homogeneous interaction with its surroundings, at the same time becoming a distinctive landmark.
C D
Ars Electronica Center
E
The AEC is one of the main cultural hotspots in Linz. The aim of the design was to wrap 2.000 m2 in existing buildings and 4.000 m2 in new buildings with a uniform and multi-purpose building envelope that forms a remarkable, shiplike-prismatic silhouette on the bank of the Danube. The urbanistic concept is based on the principle of a dialogue with its surrounding. In consideration of urbanistic important conditions, like the preservation of the wide view over the Danube as well as the conservation of the historical ensembles, an attractive ambience will be generated. A construction consisting of steel and glass connects the existing Ars Electronica Center with the main and supply building. The partly transparent and partly matt laminated glass paneels are illuminated from the back with space in between. During the day skylight windows, serve as a natural ventilation for the offices lying behind. For the lightning of the façade artists from all over the world can insert their programs through an interface. The crystal-like appearance generates a homogeneous interaction with its surroundings, at the same time becoming a distinctive landmark. Each of the 1.100 glass slabs of 3.6 m width and 1.15 m height represents one pixel of the whole light performance. The detailed frontage elements with built in LED-bars are individually selectable and make changes of infinitely variable color and brightness values (RGBW) possible. This novelty in Europe is initialising new possibilities of compositions for artists. The Ars Electronica Center presents another feature from this innovative technology – the possibility of demonstrating pure white. The AEC becomes – at the push of a button – a white crystal. The light is projected with LED bars sideways into the glass plates. They are installed vertically on one side of the window pane so they integrate invisibly into the façade. Country
Austria
City
Linz
Year
2006-2008
Owner
City of Linz, represented by Immobilien Linz GmbH und CoKEG
Architecture, Façade Design
Arch. Dipl-Ing. Andreas Treusch – Treusch architecture ZT GmbH
Façade construction
GIG Fassaden GmbH
Light Design
Treusch architecture ZT GmbH
LED Hardware
Multivision Anzeigesysteme Ges.m.b.H
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
Multivision Anzeigesysteme Ges.m.b.H
Façade Type and Geometry
The main building and the extension are both encased with a structure made of steel and glass. This construction makes it into one single architectural unit - a crystal, comprised in the performance.
Kind of Light Creation
The partly transparent (VSG clear glass) and partly matt laminated glass panels (VSG with master POINT) are illuminated from the back space in between: 40.000 LEDs lighten a 5.000 m² large building cover and produce an exciting play of light and color at night.
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Each of the 1.100 glass slabs of 3.6 m width and 1.15 m height represents one pixel of the whole light performance.
Luminance
At dawn the façade will use 100% of the luminosity. However at darkness 20 – 30 % is sufficient.
Urban Situation
The urban concept is based on the principle of dialogue between architecture and environment with due consideration to important factors, such as preserving the view across the River Danube and protecting the surrounding historic buildings, in order to create an attractive ambience.
Photo Credits
Andreas Buchberger, Andrea Ehrenreich, Lois Lammerhuber, Rupert Steiner
Link 1
www.treusch.at
F
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Project descriptions
Al Faisal Tower
A
Doha, 2011
B
The slender new Al Faisal Tower, in combination and coordination with the 5 adjacent highrise hotels provide the city of Doha's latest media faรงade spectacle.
C
Coordinated high-rise media faรงades
D
The slender new Al Faisal Tower is located in the heart of Doha's vibrant West Bay business area. At 227m in height with 52 stories of prime office, retail and restaurant space, it dominates the local skyline, offering the companies within both a perfect location and spectacular views of the city. The central protruding glass main structure gives the impression of being suspended between 2 enormous aluminium-clad side pillars, an impression which is even more apparent by night through strategic use of architectural LED lighting and the building's gigantic media faรงade. As if this alone was not enough, matching multimedia lighting effects have also been incorporated into the neighbouring 5 high-rise hotel buildings, thus connecting and combining the main landmarks of the district in a synergistic nighttime display of colour. Boasting a selection of all-weather, outdoor LED elements for different lighting and media effects, the building's LED hardware includes 24.500 individual 3dot nodes, 540m of LED bars and 1.400 hi-brightness wall washers, all of which were developed and produced by Galaxia Electronics.
E F
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Country
Qatar
City
Doha
Year
2011
Building or Project Owner
Aamal (a member of the Al Faisal Group)
Architecture
HOK
Light Design
C&C Lightway, Korea
Technical / LED Layout
M.E.P by MSCEB
Display Content/Showreel
C&C Lightway, Korea
Light/LED Hardware
Galaxia Electronics, Korea
Pixel or other Basic Elements
Galaxia Electronics, Korea
Pixel or other basic element
24.500 Pixels using Galaxia Electronics D3 RGB outdoor string LED + 540m of Galaxia Electronics A-Debar thin RGB LED bars +1.400 pieces of Galaxia Electronics 60W LED wall washers
Photo Credits
Galaxia Electronics
Project descriptions
Allianz Arena
A
Munich - Fröttmaning, 2005
B
The most spectacular views of the Allianz Arena are at night when the outer enclosure radiates the color of whichever club is hosting the evening’s match. The eleven bottom rows of the inflated membrane cushions - 1.058 elements out of a total of 2.874 - are illuminated. In addition to monochrome lighting, alternating strips and a diamond-shaped pattern can be created in two colors.
D
An illuminated doughnut for Munich
E
C
The Allianz Arena has a delightfully surreal appearance. The exterior is covered in tufted, translucent material; viewed from afar, the stadium resembles a giant, quilted doughnut. At night, it becomes positively radiant: the façade is lit from within, which means that the entire arena glows (The windows of 106 luxury boxes can be partially discerned behind the curved scrim.). At most evenings, the building emits a soft white light, reflecting the silvery tone of the synthetic skin. However, at nights when one of the two Munich soccer clubs has a home game and the teams share the stadium, the building changes its color: red for Bayern Munich, blue for the TSV 1860 Munich. The arena retains its allure during the day. The unusual material- ETFE, or ethylene tetra fluoro ethylene- gives the stadium a cushiony texture, as if it was an oversized, permanently moored blimp - you want to climb up and touch it. Its subtle white hue eerily duplicates the Munich sky on a cloudy winter afternoon and the stadium practically ‘disappears’. In the sun, it brightens. The 2,760 tufts - made of two sheets of ETFE, each 0.2 mm thick, which are sewn together and filled with air- are arranged in a strict diamond pattern, giving the façade a subtle sleekness. (The New Yorker, 20 March 06) Country
Germany
City
Munich
Year
2005
Owner
Allianz Arena-München Stadion GmbH
Architect
Herzog & de Meuron
Light Design
Michael Schmidt Lichtplanung
Light Hardware
Siteco Beleuchtungstechnik GmbH
Membrane Skin
Covertex
Façade Type and Geometry
Pneumatic membrane skin made of 2874 diamond-shaped ETFE cushions (ca. 65.000m²)
Kind of Light Creation
Specially designed fluorescent lamps are being used. Each package contains three colors (blue, red and white).
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
1058 of 2847 elements can be illuminated. Monochrome and alternating patterns are possible. The color effect achieved through the illumination is visible externally and in part internally. From outside, the increasingly dense printing on the lower rows of inflated cushions obscures a direct view of the lamps and also disperses the light.
Luminance
Illumination is only being used in the evening.
Photo Credits
sponsoring.allianz.com/en/allianz-arena/images/
Link 1
www.covertex.de
Link 2
www.allianz-arena.de
F
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Project descriptions
Blinkenlights
A
Berlin, Haus des Lehrers, temporary installation 2001
B
Celebrating its 20th anniversary the Chaos Computer Club has made a special present to itself and the city of Berlin. From September 12th, 2001 to February 23rd, 2002, the famous “Haus des Lehrers” (teacher’s house) office building at Berlin Alexanderplatz has been enhanced to become the world’s biggest interactive computer display.
C D
Illuminated windows
E
“Blinkenlights has been planned and build in record time. We had only four weeks from the first thought to the display of the first movie. So we managed to be ready on prime time: the 20th anniversary of the Chaos Computer Club making a present of huge dimensions to both the Club and the town of Berlin. Blinkenlights consists of 8 floors with 18 windows each. Behind each window there is a single lamp on a self-made tripod. Each lamp is connected to the power source via a relay. If the relay switches on, the windowpane becomes bright. In order to achieve the appropriate self-illuminated effect we have painted all windows white. The lamps have a capacity of 150W only. Each relay is connected to the eighth floor via a control cable. There, all the cables come together in a huge thread connecting to the Blinkenlights Chaos Control Center. An amplifier provides the cables with the necessary power to switch the relay. The control computer is capable of switching each relay independently. This is where Blinkenlights Movies become reality. Overall, we had laid out around 5000m of cable in the house. Three computers control the whole system. Although it would have been possible to put it all in one system, we decided to separate the modules (control, playback, telephone interactivity) in order to allow distributed development and operation. The modules communicate via network protocols.”
F
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Country
Germany
City
Berlin
Year
2001
Owner
WBM
Architect
Hermann Henselmann (1961)
Light Design
Blinkenlights
Display Content
Blinkenlights
Façade Type and Geometry
Traditional window façade
Kind of Light Creation
Halogen lamps behind opaque painted windows
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Low resolution. 8x18 = 144 big pixel work as a screen.
Luminance
Low luminance. Operation during the night is only possible.
Urban Situation
In the centre of Berlin. Big viewing distances are possible and necessary.
Showreel
The content has been created by the users through simple interfaces that had been programmed by the Blinkenlights crew (play pong, blinkenpaint, loveletters).
Photo Credits
Thomas Fiedler
Link 1
www.blinkenlights.net
Link 2
www.hausdeslehrers.de
Project descriptions
boxLEDs
A
Vienna, 2010
B
Media Architecture for the rest of us. boxLEDs is a lightweight and very flexible hard- and software toolbox for a new breed of social media applications in public space.
C
Boxes that blink
D
boxLEDs are the backbone of the exhibition architecture for the Media Architcture Biennale 2010 . A ton of stackable Euronorm - boxes are built up as a monumental indoor media façade. 300 „boxLEDs“ light and blink. Users can interact with the installation through movements and play games with others. Part of the installation are 16 iPads, that can be picked up by the visitors and that guide them as an interactive catalogue through the exhibition. The boxLEDs installation serves as a demonstrator for the „media architecture toolbox“ a collection of software modules for special media façade applications that currently include movement tracking and a sample mobile application for the iPhone / iPad. The iPad/iPhone becomes a blinking pixel and therefore part of the display. The crowd of users turn into a flashmob in the literal sense. More modules are being developed for integrating online social networks when using the installation in public space. So boxLEDs are a very flexible hard- and software infrastructure for new media formats on buildings in the urban context as well as for temporarily installations for events like exhibitions, clubbings and trade shows. Country
Austria
City
Vienna
Year
2010
Owner
realitylab
Concept and Design
realitylab
Light Design
realitylab
LED Hardware
traxon
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
e:cue
Software “Toolbox”
realitylab in cooperation with University of Sydney
Façade Type and Geometry
free configurable “boxLEDs” elements made out of stackable plastic boxes with integrated LED elements.
Kind of Light Creation
LED
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Low resolution. Plastic Boxes used for light diffusion
Luminance
Currently brightness optimized for indoor use. Easily adaptable to outdoor lighting conditions
Urban Situation
boxLEDs are designed as flexible media architecture for events, games, clubbbing, trade shows and for artistic interventions in the public space. Depending on the situation the user is involved via tracking, mobile apps and online social networks.
Showreel
Costumized videos by Catherine Ludwig and interactive content by the realitylab team
Photo Credits
realitylab.at
Link 1
www.mediaarchitecture.org/boxLEDs
Link 2
www.mediaarchitecture.org/toolbox
Link 3
www.departure.at
Link 4
www.traxontechnologies.com
E F
Page 33
Project descriptions
C4 Espacio de Creación Artística Contemporánea
A
Cordoba, 2012
B
The C4 project with a building façade with an integrated light and media installation is far away from the concept of uniform dots of light (pixel) and structured layout.
C
C4 - Building façade with an integrated light and media installation
D
With regards to realities:united’s BIX project Nieto Sobejano architects proposed a light- and media-façade on the C4 building surface facing the Rio Guadalquivir. Realities:united was commissioned to further develop the conception and the design for this media skin. In collaboration with Nieto Sobejano realities:united transformed the façade made from pre-cast glass fibre reinforced concrete panels into a 3-dimensional relief with indented “bowls”, which are an abstract derivate of the interior structure of the building. The indirectly lit “bowls” are arranged in patterns of varying density and respectively element size. They result into a screen with a varying image resolution similar to the retina of the human eye. The grey scale system based on fluorescent light will allow the display of moving images at a rate of 40 frames per second.
E F
Page 34
Country
Spain
City
Cordoba
Year
2012
Owner
Junta de Andalusia
Architect
Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos, Madrid
Façade Design
Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos in collaboration with realities:united
Light Design, Technical Layout
realities:united, Berlin
Light Hardware
Lledó Iluminación S.A.
Lighting Control Software
realities:united
Lighting Control Hardware
eCue, eldoLED
Façade Type and Geometry
Complex 3-dimensional topography made of glass fibre reinforced concrete panels. Total surface area: approx. 1.300m²
Kind of Light Creation
1.513 modular LED lights assembled into the façade’s panels.
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
1.314 bowls (i.e."pixels") varying in size between 0,10 and 91,7 m2 creating areas of varying resolution
Luminance
Indirect lighting, use at night only.
Urban Situation
Highly visible from city centre.
Photo Credits
realities:united, Berlin
Drawing Credits
realities:united, Berlin
Link 1
www.realities-united.de
Link 2
www.nietosobejano.com
Project descriptions
City of Dreams
A
Macau, 2009
B
StandardVision designed and implemented a lighting and media system covering over 50,000 square meters of LED display, stretching over four hotel towers and into two large porte-cochere entries. The custom integrated pixel lights, power systems, data mapping systems, data conversion systems, HD distribution systems and software for controls, plus original media content were developed by StandardVision as no “off-the-shelf” solutions could meet their requirements. The extensive media façade was integrated into the architectural fins and is designed intentionally so that the outlines of the buildings are visible at night. The collection of towers combine to create a unique video “screen” that goes way beyond a typical x and y configuration.
C D E F
StandardVision The City of Dream’s extensive media façade dominates all four of the hotel buildings. One of the challenges of the overall architecture was balancing the individuality of each individual building into an integrated look that tied the entire hotel / casino complex into a singular presence. Horizontal and vertical exterior fins with over 200,000 integrated pixel lights create an architectural commonality as well as a dynamic media display. Original content by StandardVision combines live action HD video and full color, abstract graphic animations into a mesmerizing display of content that flows seamlessly from building to building and into 2 enormous Porte-cochere ceilings. Literally a monument in light to the new powers of information technology, the system refreshes information to each light 60 times per second. Country
China
City
Macau
Year
2009
Owner
Melco Crown Entertainment
Architect
Arquitectonica
Light Design
StandardVision, LLC
LED Hardware
Custom LED hardware - StandardVision,LLC
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
Individual pixels receive native DVI input from high-resolution video transmitted over fiber optics to synchronized servers by Electrosonic of Burbank
Façade Type and Geometry
LED pixels integrated into the architectural fins
Technology
Standard Vision developed a custom software template which simulated the pixel formations mapped onto the building forms. A content strategy was developed for City of Dreams with a flexible library of live action media, abstract imagery and motion graphics which can be shown at different times of the year as desired.
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
4096 x 768 (each building is 1024 x 768, there are four buildings linked by synchronized servers to create a seamless moving image)
Luminance
30 nits per pixel; turned on from 5:30pm until 3:00am
Urban Situation
within a large urban entertainment complex
Showreel
original live action and designed graphic high-definition video
Photo Credits
StandardVision
Video Credits
StandardVision
Page 35
Project descriptions
A B
Denmark Pavilion, Expo Shanghai, 2010
D
A radical design in both architecture and lighting. The iconic double-looped shape, a spiralling exhibition space, biking lanes, a pool of water with the famous Little Mermaid, and a beautiful dynamic illumination of both inner spaces and outer façades. During nighttime the façade displayed a vibrant, but stylish show of patterns and animations that made the building come to life.
E
Double-spiral architecture
C
F
The Denmark Pavilion for Expo 2010 in Shanghai was designed by the young and successful Danish company Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), and in addition to an iconic double-looped shape, it featured a media façade with 3600 pixels along the spiralling outer surface. The pixels were produced by a pattern of holes, which were fitted with diffusing tubes in different sizes. Each tube had a multi-color LED fixture and was controlled by a custom media playback system. This system was also tied in with a series of light and temperature sensors around the building, thereby controlling both light intensity and color temperature. Country
China
City
Shanghai
Year
2010
Building or Project Owner
Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority
Architecture
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
BIG, CAVI / DUL (Aarhus University) and TEKNE Produktion, Rune Nielsen
Structural Engineering
ARUP / Tongji Design Institute
Façade Design
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Façade Construction
Maersk, construction management
Light Design
Tobias Ebsen (CAVI)
Technical / LED Layout
BIG / Martin Professional A/S
Display Content/Showreel
Tobias Ebsen (CAVI)
Light/LED Hardware
Martin Professional A/S
Lighting Control Software
Custom software by CAVI / TEKNE Produktion
Project Coordination
BIG and CAVI
Interaction D./Programming
CAVI and Tobias Ebsen
Pixel or other Basic Elements
Custom product by Martin Professional A/S
Façade Type and Geometry
Double layered steel construction with acrylic tubes in varying sizes. The diameters represent the structural stress on the building at the given point.
Kind of Light Creation
Custom LED product mounted above each acrylic tube. The chamber around each tube was painted white to reflect light evenly. Each fixture is mounted with magnets to the steel, eliminating the need to drill into the construction.
Resolution and Transmitting Behaviour
Low resolution - 3600 LED light fixtures (3.5 W) mounted inside the façade, illuminating the holes perforating the building.
Pixel Distance
40-50 centimeter
Luminance
Low brightness - the façade is only used from dusk to late night.
Urban Situation
Located in the 2010 Expo area in Shanghai. Has been decommissioned as of November 2010.
Description of Showreel
Random playlists of animated patterns - pulsating, sparkling, glowing and moving along the length of the façade. Colors were restricted to white and red.
Photo Credits
Leif Orkelbog-Andresen
Link 1
www.cavi.dk/projects/mediafaçades_expo.php
Link 2
www.martin.com
Page 36
Project descriptions
Digital Fountain
A
London, 2011
B
The installation Digital Fountain forms a landmark in the new Westfield development in London. It captures the essence of water both visually and acoustically, relaying the effect digitally through a unique combination of glass, aluminium and LCD technology.
C D
Digital Fountain
E
Jason Bruges Studio was commissioned by Westfield Stratford City to design and install a public artwork for the new Westfield development in Stratford, East London. The installation sits on the main pedestrian routes from both Stratford Underground and Stratford International Stations to the Olympic Stadium.
F
The artwork captures the essence of water both visually and acoustically, relaying the effect digitally through a unique combination of glass, aluminium and LCD technology. Between the 12m high „Water Fall“ sculpture and the seven 8m long „Water Rill“ benches, several thousand LCD screens are individually programmed to fade in and out in a liquid manner. In addition, seventy-four speakers are individually orchestrated to provide a complementary soundscape. The programming behind the scenes only describes the personality of the artwork never its precise motion. This results in a continuously evolving, never repeating audio-visual cascade. Country
England
City
London
Year
2011
Building or Project Owner
Westfield Stratford City
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Jason Bruges Studio
Structural Engineering
Litestructures
Light Design
Jason Bruges Studio
Display Content/Showreel
Jason Bruges Studio
Façade Type and Geometry
12m high „Water Fall“ sculpture and seven 8m long „Water Rill“ benches
Kind of Light Creation
thousands of LCD monitors, that are programmed individually
Urban Situation
located at a main pedestrian route
Description of Showreel
simulation of a waterfall
Photo Credits
Jason Bruges Studio
Link 1
http://www.jasonbruges.com/projects/uk-projects/digital-fountain
Page 37
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
FLARE Façade kinetic ambient reflection membrane FLARE is a modular system to create a dynamic hull for façades or any building or wall surface. Acting like a living skin, it allows a building to express, communicate and interact with its environment. FLARE creates a dynamic façade The FLARE system consists of a number of tilt-able metal flake bodies supplemented by individually controlled pneumatic cylinders. Due to the developed pattern, an infinite array of flakes can be mounted on any building or wall surface in a modular system of multiplied FLARE units. Each metal flake reflects the bright sky or sunlight when in vertical standby position. When the flake is tilted downwards by a computer controlled pneumatic piston, its face is shaded from the sky light and this way appears as a dark pixel. By reflecting ambient or direct sunlight, the individual flakes of the FLARE system act like pixels formed by natural light. The system is controlled by a computer to form any kind of surface animation. Sensor systems inside and outside the building communicate the buildings activity directly to the FLARE system which acts as the buildings lateral line. FLARE turns the building façade into a penetrable kinetic membrane, breaking with all conventions of the building surface as a static skin. Studio WHITEvoid operates at the interface of art, design and technology. It is comprised of specialists in interaction design, media design, product design, interior architecture and electronic engineering. Therefore it can create interactive installations and products for museums, exhibitions, trade fairs, festivals, events, concerts and clubs. Concept and Design
WHITEvoid interactive art & design Berlin, Germany
Basic Type of Media-façade
kinetic, shape-shifting, physical media system, daylight-suitable, 3-dimensional, physical display
Technology
metal elements moved by pneumatic pistons
Elements
specially designed reflecting shapes; pixels formed by reflection of ambient light; brightness of reflection controlled by position
Constructive Features
simple construction for high robustness and low maintenance; independent of weather conditions; independent of daytime; outdoor and indoor suitability
Applications
infinite, custom array of elements covering any surface outdoors and indoors. Outdoors it can be used for building façades which are visible all day from a long distance. Indoors small scaled elements can be used with various materials for colored lighting and back illumination. Even projection onto the elements is possible.
Appearance
dynamic building or wall surface; organic structures; 3-dimensional manipulation / animation of surface
Photo Credits
WHITEvoid interactive art & design
Drawing Credits
WHITEvoid interactive art & design
Link 1
www.flare-façade.com
Link 2
www.whitevoid.com
Page 38
Project descriptions
Floating Island
A
Seoul, 2011
B
Designed to bring two sides of a vibrant city together, the Floating Island complex makes perfect use of the architecturally unused expanse of the Han river in Korea's capital, to present a floating flower by day and a flotilla of flickering lanterns by night. Cutting-"edge" LED lighting from Galaxia Electronics pumps a burst of life and multi-media colour into the heart of Seoul.
D
3 floating lantern islands on the Han River
E
Like many cities of the world, Korea's capital, Seoul, straddles a major river. In Seoul's case, the Han River, which for centuries has served as an indispensable artery to the city - but which also divides the city into two. As part of the city's Han River Renaissance project, the Floating Island was set up to stimulate this huge expanse of water, to give character, culture and colour, but also a shared landmark to both sides of the city. The project, as the name suggests, consists of 3 interlinked illuminated floating island constructions, including a convention hall, an entertainment hall and a media art gallery, as well as a giant 1.000" motorized LED screen. The total building area covers 9.995m2 and was designed to create a blooming flower effect, with the individual islands representing a seed, a bud and a petal. This is underlined throughout the construction elements by the choice of glass, wood and steel as building materials. Whilst already a daytime landmark, it is at night that the complex really comes to life, providing viewers on both sides of the river, as well as on the islands themselves, with a spectacular display of colour and light against the contrasting black backdrop of the Han river. Country
Korea
City
Seoul
Year
2011
Building or Project Owner
Flossom
Architecture
HAEAHN
Structural Engineering
Opus Pearl
Faรงade Construction
Daewoo
Light/LED Hardware
Galaxia Electronics, Seoul, Korea
Lighting Control Software
Galaxia Electronics, Seoul, Korea
Pixel or other Basic Elements
Galaxia Electronics Winvision LED modules (for LED media wall) Galaxia Electronics Window LED Edge Lighting (main building)
Faรงade Type and Geometry
Glas building faรงades with integrated edge lighting.
F
Seperate motorized split-screen LED video wall using Winvision LED modules. Kind of Light Creation
Animated full colour spectrum effects generating mood and emotive atmosphere, using non-obtrusive ultra-low-profile edge lighting of individual window panes.
Photo Credits
Galaxia Electronics
Link 1
www.floatingisland.com
Link 2
www.galaxialed.com
C
Page 39
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
Flyfire project, 2010 Imagine pixels that could fly out of your computer screen and create an immersive, luminous cloud capable of displaying digital information in three-dimensional space. Remote controlled “micro helicopters” generate unique, free-form display “It’s like when Winnie the Pooh hits a beehive: a swarm of bees comes out and chases him while changing its configuration to resemble a beast,” said E Roon Kang, a research fellow at the SENSEable City Lab who is leading the project. “In Flyfire, each bee is essentially a pixel that emits emits a colored light and reconfigures itself into different forms.” Using the self-stabilizing and precise controlling technology developed by the ARES Lab, the motion of the pixels is adaptable in real time. The Flyfire canvas can transform itself from one shape to another or bring a two-dimensional photographic image into an articulated shape. “Today we are able to simultaneously control a handful of micro helicopters, but with Flyfire we are aiming to scale up and reach very large numbers,” said Emilio Frazzoli, head of the ARES Lab. “Flyfire opens up exciting possibilities: as on a conventional screen, pixels can change color, but now they can also move, creating a transient trace of light in three-dimensional space,” said team member Carnaven Chiu. “Unlike traditional displays that can only be seen from the front, Flyfire becomes a three dimensional immersive display that can be experienced from all directions.” Year
2010
Concept and Design
E Roon Kang, Carnaven Chiu, Caitlin Zacharias, Shaocong Zhou, Assaf Biderman and Carlo Ratti of the SENSEable City Lab in collaboration with Erich Mueller and Emilio Frazzoli of ARES Lab.
Technology
A large number of remotely controlled, self-organizing “micro helicopters”. Each helicopter contains small LEDs and acts as a smart pixel. Through digitally controlled movements, the helicopters perform elaborate and synchronized choreographies, generating a unique free-form display in three-dimensional space.
Urban Situation
A unique visual experience in large public spaces
Photo Credits
MIT’s SENSEable City Lab
Link 1
senseable.mit.edu/flyfire
Page 40
Project descriptions
Galleria Centercity
A
Cheonan, 2010
B
Department store media façade
C
Galleria Centercity marks the entrance to a new development area in Cheonan, South Korea and will play a major role in the new urban development. The strategy for the building enclosure consists of creating an optical illusion. The façades feature two layers of customized aluminium extrusion profiles on top of a back layer of composite aluminium cladding. The vertical profiles of the top layer are straight; but those of the back layer are angled. This results in a wave-like appearance, which changes with the viewpoint of the spectator (Moiré effect). During the day the building has a monochrome reflective appearance, whilst at night soft colours are used to generate waves of coloured light across the façade. The lighting design capitalizes on the double layered façade structure. At the corners of the building the low resolution media walls fluidly turn into a high resolution zone, capable of displaying information with more detail. The façade animations were also designed by UNStudio and refer to the themes related to the department store: fashion, events, art and public life. A computer system randomly shuffles preselected clips and transitions. Special effects are created considering saturation, rhythm and location on each of the façades. The optical illusion is omnipresent at night time, when the lighting projections cause the vertical mullions of the back wall to disappear. When seen from a distance the visuals on the large canvas are sharp and recognizable, whereas from within the direct vicinity these appear dissolved and cause the building to glow.
D E F
Country
South Korea
City
Cheonan
Year
2010
Building or Project Owner
Hanwha Galleria Co. LTD
Architecture
UNStudio
Structural Engineering
Kopeg Engineering
Façade Design
UNStudio
Light Design
ag Licht
Resolution and Transmitting Behaviour
both low resolution media walls and high resolution screens
Luminance
During the day the building has a monochrome reflective appearance, whilst at night soft colours are used to generate waves of coloured light across the façade.
Urban Situation
marks the entrance to a new development area
Description of Showreel
façade animations refer to the themes related to the department store: fashion, events, art and public life
Photo Credits
Christian Richters, Kim Yong-Kwan
Video Credits
Production: Florian Licht, Sound: Douglas Greed
Link 1
http://www.unstudio.com/
Link 2
http://www.hanwhagalleria.co.kr/
Page 41
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
Galleria Store Seoul, 2004 People stop in the street speechless, taking photographs and videos of the façade, all of them utterly amazed. The design’s subtle color changes and abstract images fit perfectly in the contemporary image of the building. The Galleria Fashion Mall is back in the heart of the city. A new façade for the Galleria department store The Galleria Department Store is, in fact, a refurbished project. Originally the Galleria Building was a drab concrete box before. Its owner, Hanwa Stores Co., decided to turn it into a landmark building that reflects the innovation and style of the area. The building now manifests its own identity for quality, in the same way as the exclusive boutiques within its walls are doing. Architects UNStudio were asked to recreate the mall’s exterior. They introduced Arup Lighting as the project’s light designers. Together they developed a chameleon-like façade that reflects the subtleties of natural light on opalescent, dichroic glass discs during the day. At night the discs are individually backlit and controlled by a video software. In order to create brilliant and unique color schemes all over the building. Each disc is acting like a big pixel on a giant screen. 4.330 discs, each 850mm in diameter, make up the entire façade of the mall. “The subtle daytime looks of the building change to something expressive and outgoing during the night”, says the lighting designer Rogier van der Heide. Country
Southkorea
City
Seoul
Year
2004
Owner
Hanwha Stores Co.
Architect
UNStudio
Light Design
UNStudio and Arup Lighting
LED Hardware
Xilver Dynamic LED Lighting
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
e:cue
Façade Type and Geometry
Black box building covered with glass disks with LED back lighting.
Kind of Light Creation
Custom made full color LED fittings behind glass disks with a diameter of 830 mm. The glass disks consist out of a sand blasted glass sheet, an acid etched glass sheet, and 3M dichroic film in between.
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Low resolution - 4500 LED fittings cover mainly two sides of the building. At daytime, due to the 3M dichroic film, the building has an extraordinary appearance while the façade is not lit.
Luminance
Medium: the operation of the façade starts at twilight.
Urban Situation
Because the building is situated at a street corner, only two of its façades can be seen. They can be viewed from a long distance.
Photo Credits
Christian Richters
Page 42
Project descriptions
Golden Tower
A
Beijing, 2008
B
The Golden Tower is designed by the famous COX Group Australia. AHL designed the led pixel lighting to fit the building‘s international and Chinese style. Installing the champagne coloured aluminium profiles, perfectly fit in it's structure.
C D
Spectacular Media Façade
E
The LED media façade covers the whole building of Golden Tower. AHL LEDs - model L4565, with a pitch of 300 mm, were installed on aluminium bars, which were fixed on the building's existing alum frames. With this technique the building and the LED system integrate perfectly with each other.
F
Country
China
City
Beijing
Year
2008
Architect
COX Group Australia
Light Design
AHL Lighting
LED Hardware
AHL Lighting
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
AHL Lighting
Pixel or other basic element
AHL LEDs - model L4565
Pixel Distance
300 mm
Luminance
High brightness
Urban Situation
The Golden Tower is a commercial building, which constitutes the landmark on ChangAn Street's. With its enormous building façade it can create widely seen effects.
Description of Showreel
The media façades shows colourful animations such as fireworks, Christmas trees etc.
Photo Credits
Tac Lion
Video Credits
Tac Lion
Page 43
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
Grand Lisboa Macau, 2007 When walking through Macau there is one building that catches your attention for sure - the Grand Lisboa. With its egg-like bottom and the lotus flower like top it has a unique form that is supported by visual effects during the night. A shining casino Magic Monkey was hired in January 2005 by the prestigious Hong Kong architectural firm DLN to conceive, design and specify the technical requirements for a monumental communication solution for Dr. Ho’s new flagship casino, the Grand Lisboa in Macau, PRC. MM was neither responsible for the final technical equipment selection nor for the installation. Magic Monkey’s design integrated the architecture of the Lotus flower inspired building with thousands of individually controlled RGB LED pixels and kilometers of RGB LED lines to create a gigantic video and light display. As the geometry of the glass façade evolved over the course of the 2 years of designing, so did the position of the pixels and the light lines. The flexibility of the concept allowed for total compliance in regards to evolving architectural design issues and client budgets. Country
China
City
Macau
Year
2007
Owner
Dr. Stanley Ho
Architect
Dennis Lau & Ng Chun Man Architects Engineers
Façade Design
R. A. Heintges & Associates
Light Design, Technical Layout
Magic Monkey
Display Content
content guidelines by Magic Monkey
LED Hardware
PXC-73 LED Cluster by Daktronics
Photo Credits
Magic Monkey
Link 1
www.magicmonkey.net
Link 2
www.dln.com.hk
Link 3
www.heintges.com
Link 4
www.daktronics.com
Page 44
Project descriptions
GS Caltex Pavilion
A
Yeosu, 2012
B
At Expo Korea the GS Caltex Pavilion is presented as an ensemble which, at first glance, is reminiscent of an outsized rice field. Eighteen metres high, so-called blades sway like grass in the wind. Touching activates individual sensitive blades and illuminates them. A centrally located star-shaped, mirrored pavilion building is optically withdrawn in its entirety. Via raised corners of the star, the visitor can gain access to the also mirrored entrance area on the ground floor.
D
Symbol of energy - dynamic ensemble
E
C
At the Expo Korea – 12 May to 12 August in Yeosu, South Korea – the corporate pavilion of GS Caltex, a Korean oil corporation established in 1967, illustrates the company's mission and its visions for the future. Designed by ATELIER BRÜCKNER, it offers visionary spaces that give three-dimensional expression to the idea of energy in harmony with nature. Each visitor can individually explore the site, which is around 2,000 square metres in size and contains a centrally located star-shaped pavilion building that is optically withdrawn in its entirety. Its mirrored façades make the energy field appear to stretch into infinity. Via raised corners of the star, the visitor can gain access to the also mirrored entrance area on the ground floor. Prismatic refractions encourage a collective spatial experience of social networking – without any hint of scale whatsoever. The architects are neither presenting to the visitors a formalistic architecture nor showing the obvious, the cliché image of what an oil-company produces: oil and it’s various forms. They want to make the audience feel what the essence of oil is: energy. The architecture does not teach the visitors about energy but let them discover the power of energy through immersive experiences. The visitors are confronted with an engaging interactive experience that will provoke their curiosity and invite them to wander around and to explore. Country
Expo Korea
City
Yeosu
Year
2012
Building or Project Owner
GS Caltex
Architecture
ATELIER BRÜCKNER
Structural Engineering
Knippers Helbig GmbH
Façade and Light Design
ATELIER BRÜCKNER
Façade Construction
ATELIER BRÜCKNER / Chang-jo Architects
Technical / LED Layout
ALTO l lighting l architectural lighting design laboratory
Display Content/Showreel
ATELIER BRÜCKNER / TAMSCHICK MEDIA+SPACE GmbH
Light/LED Hardware
ALTO l lighting l architectural lighting design laboratory
Lighting Control Software
vvvv
Interaction D./Programming
TAMSCHICK MEDIA+SPACE GmbH in cooperation with Philipp Rahlenbeck
Façade Type and Geometry
A star-shaped building with a polished, stainless steel façade – surrounded by 380 blades. As the façades are completely covered with mirrors reflecting the blades, they appear to stretch into infinity. The blades are made of glass fibre - a reinforced plastic called GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer).
Kind of Light Creation
When darkness falls, the 380 coloured blades shine brightly into the night. LED-stripes within blades are programmed to simulate modes of weather conditions.
Resolution and Transmitting Behaviour
14 LED elements with a pixel distance of 30mm are integrated in the 18 metres high blades. They are enclosed of a light diffuser, which reflects the light and distributes it, the blades are illuminated uniformly.
Pixel or other basic element
14 LED Elements, 1,25 Metre per blade
Urban Situation
The GS Caltex pavilion is situated on the Expo area in Korea, Yeosu – next to other Company pavilions.
Description of Showreel
A choreographed light show of 15 minutes impress the visitors; then an interactive sequence of 5 minutes let them participate. Touching activates individual sensitive blades and initiates pulses that spread out in the shape of waves.
Photo Credits
ATELIER BRÜCKNER / Nils Clauss
Link 1
http://www.atelier-brueckner.com/projekte/architekturen/gs-caltex-pavillon.html
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Project descriptions
A B C D E F
HEX Curtain prototype, 2012 The innovative HEX Curtain is a kinetic screen that controls the light and heat inside a building by automatically responding to the exterior natural lighting conditions. It makes a light show out of your window. The HEX curtain makes a kinetic light show out of your window. The HEX curtain is designed to open and close automatically in response to natural daylighting conditions. Each row of the HEX curtain is composed of hexagonal frames that are pinned together. The frames are filled with petals, connected by hinges to the frames and with thread elements to each other. The petals have the ability to pivot open and closed by row. At the end of each row a rotary motor pulls the thread and slowly opens or closes the petals in tandem. The rotary motor is driven by an arduino microcontroller connected to a solar sensor so on a sunny summer day the shields remain closed and on a sunny winter day the shields are automatically opened to allow sun to enter the interior and warm the space. The effect is a room that responds to the sky, keeping occupants comfortable while reducing energy consumption. The HEX curtain is 3D printed out of nylon. Country
prototype
Year
2012
Building or Project Owner
Rael San Fratello
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Rael San Fratello
Faรงade Design
Rael San Fratello
Kinetic Engineering
Rael San Fratello
Display Content/Showreel
Rael San Fratello
Faรงade Type and Geometry
curtain element made of 3D printed nylon. each piece of the curtain is made of a hexagonal frame that is pinned to the adjacent frames to make a grid of rows. Each row has 2 operable petals that are connected by a threaded element which is in turn connected to a rotary stepper motor at the end of each row. the motor is controlled by an arduino microprocessor that responds to a solar sensor which tells the software how much light is visible . the microprocessor translates the amount of light to a degree of rotation in each petal.
Photo Credits
Virginia San Fratello, Ronald Rael, Chase Lunt
Link 1
www.rael-sanfratello.com
Page 46
Project descriptions
Hypersurface Architecture [Redux]
A
prototype developed in Sydney
B
The mid 1990s saw various projects where the architects, underpinned by a theoretical discourse called Hypersurface Architecture, worked towards combining 3D static space with 2D dynamic images. The installation aims to ‘revisit’ the above-mentioned concepts. Here a 8 sqm outdoor media walls was developed using computational architectural methods to design 800 ‘Digital Bricks’ that when assembled form the media walls.
D
Non-standard media façades with a gradient from low to high resolution
E
C
The mid 1990s saw with i.e. Saltwater Pavilion, projects where the architects, underpinned by a theoretical discourse from Stephen Perrella amongst others, worked towards combining three-dimensional static space with two-dimensional dynamic images. The primary aim of this so-called Hypersurface Architecture, was to explore the advances for architecture made possible by digital technology. The concepts and thoughts of the essay were expressed in the mid 1990s, at a time when ubiquitous computing and digital technology where at the advent of their current manifestation. When analysing both: form and media, at the time of the essay in the 1990s to the present, one clearly can argue a dramatic shift has occurred. The installation Hypersurface Architecture [Redux] aims to ‘revisit’ the above-mentioned concepts. Here students in Architectural Computing together with their tutors have developed a media wall based on digital theory, understood as the engagement with computational processes (an algorithm or measurement done in a computational manner) and computing (developing, using an improving computer technology, computer hardware and software). Each media wall compromises 800 Pixels as ‘digital bricks’. Each ‘Digital Brick’ has been generated following the same design logic with a scripted variation in order to achieve a gradient from small to large size and to enable them to be assembled as a complex curved non-Euclidian surface. Each ‘Digital Brick’ contains two AHL S18 LED to transform an otherwise static wall into a dynamic media wall that is able to showcase interactive media content transforming the installation into a vibrant light sculpture. Country
Australia
Year
Prototype - work in progress
Building or Project Owner
Installation at fore court Customs House Sydney for Sydney Architecture Festival 2012
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Bachelor Students Architectural Computing Design Project (University of New South Wales / Faculty of Built Environment): Design concept by Rebekah Jo Araullo with tutors Dr. M. Hank Haeusler, Sally Hsu and Danny Nguyen
Structural Engineering
University of New South Wales (John Carrick)
Technical / LED Layout
AHL LED with University of New South Wales (Dr. M. Hank Haeusler and Danny Nguyen)
Display Content/Showreel
Bachelor Students Architectural Computing Design Project (University of New South Wales / Faculty of Built Environment): Design concept by Danny Nguyen and Matthew Kruik with tutors
Light/LED Hardware
AHL LED
Lighting Control Software
AHL LED Easy Player
Project Coordination
University of New South Wales (Dr. M. Hank Haeusler)
Interaction D./Programming
AHL LED with University of New South Wales (Danny Nguyen)
Project Sponsor/Support
AHL LED (S18 LEDs, LED controllers and technical support), University of New South Wales / Faculty of Built Environment and UNSW Digital Emerging Technologies Research Cluster
Façade Type and Geometry
800 individual physical pixel building components that were assembled to form the media wall.
Kind of Light Creation
The laser cut components called 'Digital bricks' include 2 AHL LED S18 to activate the front surface of them.
Resolution and Transmitting Behaviour
A gradient transition from high resolution to low resolution ('Digital brick' from 20x20 to 4x4 cm). Interestingly the gradient resolution transition does not influence the visual quality of the image displayed on the surface.
Description of Showreel
The installation responds to peoples movement and engagement through a change in color.
Photo Credits
M. Hank Haeusler
Link 1
http://www.be.unsw.edu.au/hypersurface-architecture-redux
Link 2
http://www.sydneyarchitecturefestival.org/component/option,com_events/Itemid,109/agid,57/task,view_detail/
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Project descriptions
Kinetic Façade - Theme Pavilion
A
Yeosu, 2012
B D
Although movement is intrinsic to any media façade, architecture usually just provides the stable, immobile screen for digital motion. By facilitating actual movement, the kinetic façade exemplifies architecture as a medium in itself and creates a choreography of dynamic patterns. The moving façade that is seamlessly integrated into the building’s skin was developed together with Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering during the planning phases.
E
Kinetic façade based on biomimetic principle
C
In addition to their function of controlling light conditions, the moving lamellae create animated patterns along the façade. The choreography ranges from subtle local movements to waves spreading over the whole length of the building. After sunset, the analogue visual effect of the moving lamellae is intensified by linear light bars located at the inner side of the front edge of the lamella. When opened, they illuminate the neighbouring lamella, depending on the opening angle. The material performance of the biomimetic louvers produces an interrelated effect of geometry, movement and light: the longer the individual lamella — the wider the opening angle — the larger the illuminated area. The façade covers a total length of about 140 m, and is between 3 m and 13 m high. It consists of 108 kinetic louvers supported at the top and the bottom edge of the façade. The lamellae are made of glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP), which combine high tensile strength with low bending stiffness, allowing for large reversible elastic deformations. The louvers are moved by actuators on both the upper and lower edge of the GFRP blade, which induce compression forces to create the complex elastic deformation. They reduce the distance between the two bearings and in this way induce a bending which results in a side rotation of the lamella. The actuator of the louvers is a screw spindle driven by a servomotor. A computer controlled bus-system allows the synchronization of the actuators. Each lamella can be addressed individually within a specific logic of movement to show different choreographies and operation modes. Upper and lower motors often work with opposing power requirements (driving-breaking). Any energy generated can thus be fed back into the local system to save energy.
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Country
South-Korea
City
Yeosu
Year
2009-2012
Owner
The Organizing Committee of Expo 2012 Yeosu, South-Korea
Architecture, Façade Design
soma, Vienna
Façade construction
Hyundai Construction, Ojoo
Engineers Kinematics
Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering, Stuttgart
Light Design, Technical Layout
podpod, Vienna, Bitzro, Seoul
Project Coordination
dmp, Seoul
Content
Bitzro, Seoul
Façade Type and Geometry
The façade is made of slightly curved plates supported by two hinged corners at the top and bottom. In the other two corners, a small compressive force is applied in the plane of the fin, which leads to a controlled buckling. The elastically deformable fins are made of fiberglass reinforced plastic. They are up to 14 meters high and only 9 mm thick, with an additional stiffener on the side.
Kind of Light Creation
Integrated full color LED in GFRP lamella for content display. Embedded linear light sources for intensification of opening effect
Pixel Distance
30 centimeter in both direction
Luminance
medium - the façade is only used at night
Urban Situation
The building faces the main EXPO's axis and one of its main entrance.
Showreel
Expo clips displaying theme-related contents.
Photo Credits
soma, Simon Schleicher
Renderings
isochrom / soma
Link 1
www.soma-architecture.com
Project descriptions
KPN Tower
A
Rotterdam, 2000
B
“I think it is enormously important to work with the intangible elements of space. Light, transparency, vibration, structure and color are those elements that interact with the shape of the space, rather than emphasize its function. The language of Architecture is changing. New technologies can bring together peoples and cultures in a way that is unique in the History of mankind. I firmly believe in the value of these options.”
D
Skyscraper on an island
E
A wall of light measuring 3.000 square meters has turned the new headquarters of the largest Dutch telecommunications company KPN in Rotterdam into a spectacular attraction. The stunning building, designed by Renzo Piano, was officially opened in September 2000. Located on an island by the New Maas it can be seen from miles. The 100-metre-high and 40-metre-wide sloping north façade is equipped with around 900 PLANON® flat-panel lamps. Because they can be controlled individually with electronic control gear, they form the pixels of a gigantic monochrome display on which still and moving images can be created.
F
Country
Netherlands
City
Rotterdam
Year
2000
Owner
KPN Telekom
Architect
Renzo Piano
Façade Design
Corsmit Engineers
Display Content
Studio Dumbar, Pixelsex, Graffiti Research Lab
LED Hardware
Osram Planon
Façade Type and Geometry
Single layered, overhanging glass façade (ca. 3.000m²).
Kind of Light Creation
Osram Planon flat panel lamps
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Low resolution - 900 Planon lamps have been used
Luminance
Relatively bright - use during daytime is possible
Urban Situation
The building can be seen from one side from very long distances.
Showreel
Graffiti Research Lab
Photo Credits
Michel Denancé
Link 1
www.zumtobel.at
Link 2
www.studiodumbar.com
Link 3
www.pixelsex.org
Link 4
www.graffitiresearchlab.com
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Page 49
Project descriptions
Kunsthaus - BIX
A
Graz, 2003
B
“The Graz building as a responsive skin of some sort was always in our mind - the ‘realities’ boys made it reality - with sparkle. What more could you ask for?” Peter Cook; Architect, London, GB
C
BIX - Communicative Display Skin for the Kunsthaus Graz
D
BIX is a matrix of 930 fluorescent lamps integrated into the eastern Plexiglas façade of the Kunsthaus. Through the possibility to individually adjust the lamps’ brightness at an infinite variability with 20 frames/sec. images, films and animations can be displayed. The BIX installation and the architecture share a strong symbiotic relationship. The façade as a display extends the communication range of the Kunsthaus, complementing its programmatically formulated communicative purpose – in an abstract and mediated form the media façade transmits its internal processes out into the public. For the development central design features of conventional large screen displays had been abandoned in order to obtain a number of substantial advantages: On the one hand, the low image resolution imposes strong limitations. On the other, this “deal” enables the modular structure and the huge size of the installation to be highly integrated into the architecture. Not a separately mounted video wall but the Kunsthaus itself radiates messages.
E F
Page 50
Country
Austria
City
Graz
Year
2003
Owner
Landesmuseum Joanneum GmbH
Architect
Peter Cook & Colin Fournier
Light Design
realities:united
Light Hardware
SE Lightmanagement AG
Lighting Control Software
John Dekron, Jeremy Rotsztain/ Mantissa, Ulrike Brückner/ Musterfirma, Peter Castine in collaboration with realities:united
Lighting Control Hardware
SE Lightmanagement AG
Façade Type and Geometry
Double layer façade construction with a non-transparent inner façade and an outer “skin” constructed from translucent Plexiglas panels covering the biomorphic building. BIX consists of a matrix of conventional circular fluorescent light tubes integrated in the Plexiglas façade of the Kunsthaus.
Kind of Light Creation
Fluorescent light tubes (custom fixtures)
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
930 pixels on a total surface area of 900m2
Luminance
Medium-high; used under twilight conditions and at night
Urban Situation
Installation is integrated into the building’s riverside frontage which faces the city
Photo Credits
realities:united, Berlin
Link 1
www.bix.at
Link 2
www.realities-united.de
Project descriptions
Living Sculpture
A
Frankfurt, 2012
B
Kinetic installation with 864 OLEDS - LivingSculpture was created by WHITEvoid as a kinetic centre piece for the PHILIPS trade fair stand at the Light+Building trade fair 2012 in Frankfurt, Germany.
C D
The installation is composed of 24 movable triangular aluminium frames carrying 864 ultra thin glass OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) altogether. The 36 OLEDs on each of the 24 triangular bases form a larger triangle and the final form is created by superimposed triangles. Even when it is not moving, the 5 by 6 meter kinetic installation is impressive. However it really draws attention to itself when the 24 triangles are set in motion and more than 860 OLEDs light up the room.
E F
Light floating in the air - OLED based movable triangular aluminium frames The smallest shape in the installation is made by triangular OLEDs, and this is reflected in the overall form of the installation. The OLEDs are mounted on each frame held in place by almost invisible metal clamps that also transfer the power. This specifically developed mechanism makes any traditional socket or direct cabling obsolete. Each triangular frame is then attached to 3 cable winch systems. 24 of these movable frames form the hexagonal arrangement of the installation with a diameter of 6 meter. Computer-controlled winches allow breathtaking spectacles to be created that quickly draw an audience, for example in a large company’s reception area or in an airport terminal. Country
Germany
City
Frankfurt
Year
2012
Building or Project Owner
PHILIPS technology GmbH
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
WHITEvoid interactive art & design
Light Design
WHITEvoid interactive art & design, Berlin
Technical / LED Layout
WHITEvoid interactive art & design, Berlin
Light/LED Hardware
OLED Hardware, PHILIPS technology GmbH, Aachen
Lighting Control Software
WHITEvoid interactive art & design, Berlin
Interaction D./Programming
WHITEvoid interactive art & design, Berlin
Project Sponsor/Support
PHILIPS technology GmbH, Aachen
Façade Type and Geometry
24 movable triangular aluminium frames carrying 864 ultra thin glass OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes). They form the hexagonal arrangement of the installation with a diameter of 6 meter.
Link 1
http://www.whitevoid.com/portfolio/#/main/kinetic_lights/living_sculpture_kinetic
Link 2
http://www.lumiblade-experience.com/projects%3Fslide=1.html
Link 3
http://www.kinetic-lights.com/system/
Page 51
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
Lotus Dome Lille, 2012 Lotus Dome’ is a living dome made out of hundreds of ultra-light responsive aluminum flowers. When approached, the big silver dome lights up and opens its flowers. Its behavior moves from soft breathing to a more dynamic mood when more people interact. The light slowly follows people, creating an interactive play of light and shadow. The graphic representations of the lotus flower on the walls and the deep bass sound transform the Renaissance environment into a ‘Techno-Church’. Lotus Dome, hundreds of hightech responsive flowers The smart Lotus foil is specially developed by Studio Roosegaarde and their manufacturers, and is made from several thin layers of Mylar that fold open and close when touched by light. This high-tech craftsmanship is similar to the innovative thinking of the church’s architecture of the 16th century. Roosegaarde: “We’re updating Renaissance, applying a high tech layer that makes the architecture come alive”. ‘Lotus Dome’ is created for the city of Lille and it’s locals. The purpose was to activate the beautiful but deserted Renaissance building, and make the architecture become more alive and contemporary. This dynamic relation between people and technology is what Roosegaarde calls ‘Techno-Poetry’. “Lotus Dome functions as a mediator, connecting elements of architecture and nature, of the past and the future”. The city of Lille commissioned artist Daan Roosegaarde to inspire the inhabitants and experience their city in a new way. ‘Lotus Dome’ can be visited free of charge until 13 January 2013 in the Sainte Madeleine Church for the exhibition FANTASTIC by Lille3000. Studio Roosegaarde is the social design lab of artist Daan Roosegaarde. With projects ranging from fashion to architecture, he creates smart and social designs that instinctively interact with sound and movement. Roosegaarde exhibited at the Tate Modern, the National Museum in Tokyo and has won the Dutch Design Award. Country
France
City
Lille
Year
2012
Building or Project Owner
Studio Roosegaarde
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Studio Roosegaarde
Kinetic Engineering
Studio Roosegaarde
Technical / LED Layout
Studio Roosegaarde
Display Content/Showreel
Studio Roosegaarde
Lighting Control Software
Studio Roosegaarde
Façade Type and Geometry
Allround façade made from flowers, made from several layers of Mylar.
Resolution and Transmitting Behaviour
Six bright light bulbs are placed onto a moving standard, which can turn 360 degrees, as well as up and down. The lighting is programmed to trace and follow people. If they stand still in one site, the lamp goes up, opening the flowers on the top. When more people interact, the lamp turns wildly.
Pixel Distance
10 centimeter
Luminance
Low brightness, from dusk until dawn.
Urban Situation
Placed inside the Marie Madeleine Church in Lille, it can be seen 3 months during festival Lille3000 FANTASTIC.
Photo Credits
Studio Roosegaarde
Video Credits
Studio Roosegaarde
Link 1
www.studioroosegaarde.net/lotusdome
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Project descriptions
Marnix 2000
A
Brussels, 1999
B
Marnix 2000, the world’s first interactive RGB media façade. In 1999, the BBL-ING headquarters in Brussels were converted into a monumental interactive screen. The project, designed by magic monkey, was open to everyone.
C
Interactive Matrix In 1999, magic monkey converted the façade of the BBL–ING Marnix building into a giant light & video display by transforming every window into a big RGB pixel. The magnificent modernist building, designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in the early 60s, was an absolute inspiration to the magic monkey lighting design team. The 7 stories by 52 windows façade was transformed into a 364 pixel interactive matrix, sweeping people’s imagination into the future to celebrate the new Millennium. Everyone was welcome to participate and create their own animations by downloading a free animation interface from the burgeoning web, remember dial-in connections… As soon as a new animation was uploaded, participants would receive an email thanking them for their participation and indicating when their animation would play on the building. From nervous wedding requests to daring political messages, people shared their visions from all over the world on a true monumental scale! Country
Belgium
City
Brussels
Year
1999
Owner
BBL ING
Architect
Gordon Bunshaft
Light Design
magic monkey
LED Hardware
LEG Illumination ACT asymmetrical projector Quartz lamp 300W
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
custom video/data controller
Façade Type and Geometry
Listed modernist masterpiece by Gordon Bunshaft of S.O.M. Exposed structure, double façade building built in the early 60s.
Kind of Light Creation
3 RGB light projectors placed within each window alcove creating a matrix of 7 pixels high by 52 pixels wide, a 364 pixel monumental video matrix for the new Millennium! And open to all via a web based interface.
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
364 RGB pixels data linked.
Luminance
Bright!
Urban Situation
at the heart of Brussels, along it’s inner ring, across from the King’s Palace.
Photo Credits
magicmonkey.net
Link 1
www.magicmonkey.net
Link 2
www.som.com/content.cfm/awards_landing
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D E F
Project descriptions
A B
Moritz Factory Barcelona, 2012
D
After Jean Nouvel's renovation, Moritz factory building become an icon for the brand and for the city of Barcelona. Festival Llum BCN was the perfect context to reinforce and present the project to the city. With this installation, the bulding and the brand itself becomes visible and more recognisable for all citizens. Finally Moritz Barcelona used this installation to call more people to know the new building.
E
Distortion of a known pattern
C
F
The facade of the building was a great surface to create an installation with a really known pattern for Barcelona, the "M" of the logo of Moritz. The installation consists in 25 "M" strictly distributed on the facade, hanging from balconies in 5 rows and 5 columns. The light installation makes this pattern appear and disappear every 10 seconds, creating visual games and new formal and recognisable patterns. From simplicity, we achieve dinamism and variability. The installation caused also a huge impact in Barcelona, where this kinds of actions are restricted to special events. People standing in front or passing by were taking photos, videos and sharing via social media this Lighting moment. Country
Spain
City
Barcelona
Year
2012
Building or Project Owner
Moritz Barcelona
Light Design
Anoche Iluminaciรณn Arquitectonica S.L.
Technical / LED Layout
Leds control
Display Content/Showreel
Leds control
Project Coordination
Anoche Iluminaciรณn Arquitectรณnica, LEDsCONTROL
Project Sponsor/Support
Moritz Barcelona
Faรงade Type and Geometry
M-pattern: tubular rectangular aluminium structure 1.8x1.6m (easy installation and transport), Mechanical Fixation to balcony
Kind of Light Creation
StripLED RGB controlled dotbydot glued to the pattern (3M). Electronic connections solded. Weather-protected with silicon-spray. Distance between LEDs 8cm.
Resolution and Transmitting Behaviour
Low resolution facade. The LED and pattern distribution searchs recognition of basic patterns from close distance (narrow street).
Luminance
Medium brightness - only used at dawn
Urban Situation
The facade can be seen from urban prespectives (street angles) and from a short distance (street wide)
Photo Credits
Anoche Iluminaciรณn Arquitectonica S.L.
Link 1
www.anoche.eu
Link 2
www.ledscontrol.com
Page 54
Project descriptions
National Library
A
Minsk, 2006
B
In 2006, Minsk received a new architectural symbol – a brand new building to house the National Library of Belarus. The twenty-three story library is designed in the form of a rhombicuboctahedron (diamond) and symbolizes the enormous value of knowledge that mankind has stored in books.
C D
A library inside a sparkling diamond
E
The National Library is covered with glass panels, which sparkle during the day like a real diamond. Architects Victor Kramarenko and Michael Vinogradov, the authors of the building’s idea, wanted to preserve and convey this vision at night. Professor Viktor Kramarenko describes the challenge: “In the evening, the sparkling effect vanishes. External flood type illumination of the building is not effective, since glass panels reflect light into space.” The authors suggested hiding the light sources behind the glass “to create an illusion of a giant color display”, continues Kramarenko. A total of 4646 color-changing LED fixtures were installed all around the building, effectively creating a monitor with 25x25 meter sides and 62 meters in diameter. “As a result, spectators are able to observe a fantastic show with incredible dynamic plots from hundreds of meters away. It is an extraordinary creative venue for lighting designers”. The entire color-changing system was designed and produced by Walter Industries (Minsk, Belarus), a 100% subsidiary of the Canadian lighting manufacturer GVA Lighting, Inc. The entire network of dynamically addressed LED light fixtures is controlled through a custom-designed software operating on a standard PC. The lighting designer is presented with a flexible interface for easy control and creation of lighting shows and specific lighting effects. Country
Belarus
City
Minsk
Year
2006
Owner
Public Building
Architect
Victor Karmaenko
Light Design, Technical Layout and LED Hardware
Walter Industries (GVA Lighting, Inc)
Façade Type and Geometry
Diamond shaped glass façade (ca. 7000m2)
Kind of Light Creation
STAR LED fixtures built of 3x1 Watt Luxeon LEDs.
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Low resolution - 4646 LED fixtures mounted behind a glass layer.
Luminance
Medium brightness - the façade is only being used at dawn.
Urban Situation
The building can be seen from different angles and from a long distance.
Photo Credits
GVA Lighting
F
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Project descriptions
A B C D E F
Nova Zurich Central Station (and other locations), 2006 NOVA blurs the boundaries between science, art and technology offering a universal experience accessible to everyone referring to “third culture”, a term first coined by C.P. Snow in his famous book “The Two Cultures” published in 1964 promoting a streetwise science culture, where working scientists communicate directly with lay people. In reference to this context NOVA’s mission is to make science more tangible to the public by revealing the perfection and beauty of mathematical formula, to awake the fascination for science and to create a dialogue with society. An interactive real 3D video LED screen The NOVA 3D LED system is suspended 9 meters above ground from the ceiling of the main hall of Zurich’s central train station where 340’000 people pass by each day. It measures 5 x 5 x 1 meters and consists of 25’000 voxels (volumetric pixels). The audience is invited to immerse itself in a universe of 16 million colors and to enjoy a moment of rest and amazement in a very hectic environment. Visitors can explore NOVA interacting with a touch screen at a local terminal which allows browsing, altering and creating content in real time. Furthermore the audience can compose music which will played at the terminal using audio beams and which will be simultaneously visualized on the NOVA screen. The LED voxels measuring 40mm in diameter can be addressed individually and work at a refresh rate of 1/25 of a second, i.e. the equivalent of 25 pictures per second. The “real 3D” video LED object can be animated by a variety of 2D and 3D contents (videos, photos, logos, texts, 3D objects, 2D and 3D animations) which can be presented in a physical 3D imaging structure offering real 3D and panoramic vision of 360°. Using a specific feature embedded in the NOVA software developed at ETH Zurich video content can be shown in the 3D imaging space offering an interpretable image visible form one specific viewing point, whereas displaying a blurred and skewed image visible from all other viewing angles. Patents for the system have been filed and granted nationally and internationally. Country
Switzerland
City
Zurich
Year
2006
Owner
ETH Zurich
Concept and Design
Martina Eberle, horao GmbH
Hardware Development
Supercomputing Systems AG
Software Development
ETH Zurich
LED Hardware
elfab AG, Industrial Micro Systems AG
Structure
modular, free form, Real 3D
Horizontal and vertical viewing angle
360°
Basic Module Dimensions
Baseplate, 500mm x 500mm (WxD)
Technology
The complex hardware and software were developed by Supercomputing Systems AG and ETH Zurich respectively for the specific purpose of real 3D imaging in color at a refresh rate of 25 Hz in a physical three-dimensional configuration of pixels.
Kind of Light Creation
LED strings of variable length; Voxel (i.e. volumetric pixel): Sphere with minimal diameter of 40mm, 4 SMD LEDs each (2 x 2 configuration); Refresh rate of 25 Hz; Control: each voxel can be addressed individually; Pitch: variable in x-, y-, z-axis; Color Depth of 16 million colors
System
Control: Playlist, Art-Net/DMX 512, OSCD and MIDI upon request; Data Source: NOVA content file (.3dd), AVI, Quicktime, animated GIF or Framegrabber (e.g. HD/SDI real-time stream); Software: NOVA Studio and NOVA Player (both proprietary)
Photo Credits
Oliver Lang, Nick Spoerri; horao GmbH
Link 1
www.nova.ethz.ch
Link 2
www.novalabs.ch
Link 3
www.horao.biz
Link 4
www.youtube.com/horaoclips
Page 56
Project descriptions
Photophore
A
Frankfurt, 2012
B
At the 2012 Luminale festival of light in Frankfurt, an interactive media façade installation called Photophore used Martin Professional LED video panels as part of an interactive, five-story veil of light along the Main River. Passersby were invited to take part in the festival by manipulating the veil of light via their smartphone, adding an ethereal and vivid tangibility to the building after sundown.
C D
Photophore – Smart light interaction
E
In celebration of the Luminale 2012 festival of light in Frankfurt, architectural firm Kollision, together with Martin Professional and lighting designers Katja Winkelmann and Jochen Schröder, developed an interactive media façade, Photophore, using Martin LED video panels.
F
Photophore was a five-story veil of light situated along the river Main at the unique Seven Swans multi-functional restaurant, bar, office and hotel. Here, in the heart of Frankfurt, everyone was invited to take part in the festival of light by scanning a QR code mounted on the façade. Users were then brought to a website, which allowed them to interact with the veil. The website invited users to swipe their finger across the touch screen of their smartphone, which caused the veil of light to act as if it was being pushed, pulled and thrown in response to input from people on the street. The texture and dynamics of the veil added tangibility to the Seven Swans and gave the unique building both an ethereal and vivid expression when darkness fell. The original concept was initiated by Jochen Schröder & Katja Winkelmann, who also planned the project. Martin Professional was responsible for the lighting hardware and installation, and Kollision developed the interaction and programmed the interactive player. The Photophore software was built in C++ and used the Cinder library to create the real-time 3D responsive veil. A website was the chosen means of interaction allowing easier accessibility through html5’s javaScript web socket technology. The installation ran from the 15th to the 20th of April 2012. Country
Germany
City
Frankfurt
Year
2012
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Katja Winkelmann and Jochen Schröder
Light Design Technical / LED Layout
Martin Professional A/S
Light/LED Hardware Lighting Control Software
Kollision
Pixel Distance
40 mm pixel pitch
Urban Situation
situated along the main river, during the Luminale 2012
Description of Showreel
Passersby were invited to take part in the festival by manipulating the veil of light via their smartphone, adding an ethereal and vivid tangibility to the building after sundown.
Photo Credits
Martin Professional A/S
Video Credits
Martin Professional A/S
Page 57
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
Polymedia Pixel Prototype developed in Sydney The Polymedia Pixel project is a research project towards the development and application of a computer integrated architectural material and its evaluation through designed and curated building information content. The prototype functions as an investigation of the potential for computer-augmented architectural materials, to catalyse responsive and interactive communication between buildings in a precinct that relates to resource utilisation information. Its principle aim is to allow buildings to collect, analyse and exchange information. Investigating how computer augmented architectural components can catalyse inter-building communication Polymedia Pixel is a computer-augmented architectural material developed by a team of researchers at the University of New South Wales, Sydney and UTS, Sydney, lead by Dr. M. Hank Haeusler. Stepping away from the perception of media façades as merely being a big screen, the conceptual starting point of the project is to redefine the use of computers in architecture and whether computer-augmented architectural materials can define space and catalyse inter-building communication. The Polymedia Pixel aims to be more like a smartphone, when it comes to its sensing and computing power, but in form of an architectural building component. The Polymedia Pixel is an icosidodecahedron-shaped building component, similar to a node in a space frame structure, each of them being interconnected via rods to another element for physical stability. Using engineering principles of space-frame structures the 32 connection points at the pixel allow for more flexibility than conventional systems. The system is based on the fundamental understanding that a pixel is an element, used in groups of other pixels to represent dynamic visual information as a screen. Therefore each Polymedia Pixel includes embedded sensory equipment which functions as an interface to form an active media façade. It consists of a computer-on-module (COM) and various sensing devices such as microphones, speakers, ultrasonic sensors and cameras to name but a few. The Polymedia Pixel enables designers to create versatile media façades capable of integrating with variations of physical shapes and surroundings by using a sentient material to be situated in any imaginary context, enabling the media façade to sense and process data and information, and to output visual or audio messages accordingly. Such technologies bring the built environment closer to achievements in robotics and support ubiquitous city principles by working as data collector and distributor, which is essential for realising Ubiquitous City concepts. Country
Australia
Year
work in progress
Building or Project Owner
Prototype
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
University of New South Wales (Dr. M. Hank Haeusler); University of Technology Sydney (Prof. Kirsty Beilharz, Dr. Sam Fergusson, Dr. Alen Alempijevic)
Façade and Light Design
University of New South Wales (Dr. M. Hank Haeusler)
Display Content/Showreel
University of New South Wales (Dr. M. Hank Haeusler); University of Technology Sydney (Prof. Kirsty Beilharz, Dr. Sam Fergusson, Dr. Alen Alempijevic)
Light/LED Hardware
University of New South Wales (Dr. M. Hank Haeusler); University of Technology Sydney (Prof. Kirsty Beilharz, Dr. Sam Fergusson, Dr. Alen Alempijevic)
Pixel or other Basic Elements
Gumstix’s Overo Fire computer-on-module (COM) that can communicate via 802.11g or Bluetooth, and a Summit Expansion Board for the Overo COM. Equipped with an 32 GB SD memory card and various sensing devices such as microphones, speakers, ultrasonic sensors and cameras to name but a few.
Façade Type and Geometry
icosidodecahedron-shaped building component with 32 connection points
Kind of Light Creation
Using BlinkM max LEDs (445,000 mcd) the Polymedia Pixel can communicate data via an I2C protocol from the COM (computer-on-module) to the the LEDs and other sensors in located within the pixel.
Resolution and Transmitting Behaviour
The distance from Pixel to Pixel can vary between 20-90 cm.
Urban Situation
Able to be attached on nearly all building façades as retrofitting through its great flexibility.
Photo Credits
M. Hank Haeusler, NJ Namju Lee
Link 1
http://goo.gl/Js0q8
Link 2
http://www.sense-aware.com/2009/10/interactive-polymedia-pixel-media.html
Page 58
Project descriptions
Saxo Reactive Ceiling
A
Hellerup, 2011
B
A unique reactive ceiling of color and light adds a compelling visual element to the refined interior at Saxo Bank headquarters in Hellerup, Denmark, as waves of light from Martin Professional LED sources embrace visitors and employees in an interactive light experience. The installation, a novel example of ‘enhanced brand ambience’, highlights the dynamic interplay in everyday activities while shedding light on Saxo Bank as a modern and innovative company.
D
Martin LED Reactive Ceiling at Saxo Bank Headquarters
E
C
The Saxo Bank reactive ceiling at its Danish headquarters in Hellerup is made up of 2,400 Martin Professional FlexDOT™ LED light sources installed in a hallway that connects the Bank’s foyer with meeting rooms. The project’s stated aim was to create a colorful and spectacular 'light source' integrated into the architecture. Architectural firm Kollision employed multiple lines of RGB LEDs along the curved walls of the passageway using FlexDOT in the ceiling as the primary light source. Various lighting designs are brought to life, expressions like 'Aurora Borealis,' ‘Snakes’ of light or ‘Wash’ fades. Also, visitors encounter reactive aspects of the design as meeting room doors open and close, sending pulses of light that grow and spread on the surface of the ceiling. Finally, an informative and independent layer of light signals if a meeting room is occupied by illuminating two distinct red dots above the door. “We see a dynamic light solution as a powerful way to emphasize a positive interplay between the actual space and the users,” states Rune Nielsen, architect and partner in Kollision, the primary lighting designer on the installation who also designed the ceiling itself. “We refer to this as Enhanced Brand Ambience. The idea is to create an experience-oriented and - in many ways - more colorful architecture that supports a dynamic interplay with everyday activities, which in the end sheds light on Saxo Bank as a modern and innovative company.” Country
Denmark
City
Hellerup
Year
2011
Building or Project Owner
Saxo Bank
Architecture
Christian Lund
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Kollision
Light Design
Kollision
Light/LED Hardware
Martin Professional FlexDOT™ LED light sources
Lighting Control Software
Medialon show controller; iOS control app
Façade Type and Geometry
The FlexDOT LED light sources - lightweight yet bright (RGB) LEDs that are individually controllable via DMX512 - are distributed along 18 lines of 133 light sources each. Emphasizing the architectural form, the light sources run the length of the curved passageway. On closer inspection, the individual radiance of the light sources is propagated by acrylic tubes that protrude through precisely cut openings in the ceiling.
Kind of Light Creation
2,400 Martin Professional FlexDOT™ LED light sources installed in a hallway
Pixel Distance
18 lines of 133 light sources each
Luminance
2.5 cd per pixel
Urban Situation
hallway of Saxo Bank headquarters
Photo Credits
Martin Professional A/S
Video Credits
Martin Professional A/S
Link 1
http://martin.com/casestory/casestory.asp?id=2262
Page 59
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Project descriptions
A B
Silo 468 Kruunuvuorenranta Helsinki, 2012
D
Large scale permanent light art installation and a new civic space for city of Helsinki has been created by the sea in the former industrial area of Kruunuvuori. The piece uses natural light as well as parametrically controlled white LED lights to suggest a connection to its surroundings in real time. Officially launched on 10th October 2012 the light art intervention signifies the start of a large urban redevelopment of the area into modern residential zone for 11000 people.
E
Silo 468 Kruunuvuorenranta
F
Architectural lighting design firm LDC (Lighting Design Collective S.L.) was awarded a prize to realize a permanent urban light art piece in Helsinki, Finland - an official project for Helsinki World Design Capital 2012. The art piece converts a disused oil silo into a wondrous light display and a civic space. Public will gain access to the vast interior of the 35m diameter 16 meter tall steel silo which will be dark red inside. Sunlight will fill the space with dappled shadows creating a spectacular daytime space. At night 1280 white LED´s flicker and sway on the surface of the silo controlled by a bespoke software mimicking swarms of birds in flight – a reference to silo´s seaside location. The prevailing winds, well known to those living in Helsinki, are used to trigger different light patterns in real time. ‘The enduring fascination of the complex movement of light and the amazing location by the sea will make this a captivating experience for the visitors and the residents of Helsinki’ Tapio Rosenius the Director of LDC say. Silo 468 is placed in the future district of Kruuunuvuorenranta, a new city development of Helsinki. Itwill be both a cosy residential area and an attractive recreational area for all Helsinki inhabitants.
C
Country
Finland
City
Helsinki
Year
2012
Building or Project Owner
City of Helsinki Planning Department
Architecture
Lighting Design Collective
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Tapio Rosenius, Victor Soria, Rodolfo Lozano, Oscar Martin all from Lighting Design Collective
Façade Construction
VRJ
Light Design
Lighting Design Collective
Technical / LED Layout
Lighting Design Collective
Display Content/Showreel
Lighting Design Collective
Light/LED Hardware
Traxon Technologies, Sun Effects
Lighting Control Software
Custom software: Lighting Design Collective (Gorka Gortazar) & e:cue
Project Coordination
HKR
Façade Type and Geometry
Existing steel wall has been perforated with 2012 circular holes, cut to 150mm diameter. The perforation logic and aesthetic has been derived from the old rust stains that were visible in the original façade surface. In addition a regular grid has been laid with the abstract pattern giving location for the LED grid.
Kind of Light Creation
Single colour 2700K white LED matrix within a domed fixture. 9 LED's per dome. The luminaire is a custom variation of a standard product. Outside floodlights are populated as Red, White, White LED floods. Fixtures are used predominantly with 2700K white light with Red wash appearing only at midnight.
Resolution and Transmitting Behaviour
Low resolution - 1280 LED domes are suspended with specially made steel wire & bracketry system inside the silo facing out through the circular holes.
Pixel Distance
Vertically 900mm, horizontally 450mm
Luminance
Medium brightness - façade only used from Sunset - 15 minutes until 02:30.
Urban Situation
Building sits in a former industrial area facing out towards the city centre. Key views include ferries and boats passing the building in this busy port area. Visibility was designed for max 4 km but is more in reality.
Description of Showreel
Custom made software based on swarm intelligence and various logarithms generate the content in real time. The bird swarm like movement is varied parametrically with live inputs from wind speed, wind direction, temperature, clarity and snow fall. Software monitors a simple RSS feed with the above data and launches parametric changes accordingly.
Photo Credits
Hannu Iso-Oja
Page 60
Project descriptions
Solar Collector - www.solarcollector.ca
A
Waterloo, 2008
B
A solar-powered, web-connected, interactive sculpture. Angled shafts combine solar energy and online expression to create a performance in light each night. A collaboration between the community and the sun.
C
Contribute online to a sculpture In an industrial setting, twelve aluminum shafts rise at surprising angles from a grassy hill. They hang over the landscape, a graceful curve that unfolds for passing motorists.
At dusk, a performance begins of all the compositions collected that day: quick, flashing pulses; slow flowing waves… the submitted patterns link together to create each evening’s show. The shaft angles make visible the graceful geometry of solar energy, reflecting the sun’s angles through the year. The longest shaft faces the low sun at winter solstice, the shortest faces the high sun in summer. Wielding the sun’s energy, participants combine the power of nature and the potential of technology in inspired expressions of global belonging and concern, reaching halfway around the world and create a pattern to flash across the Canadian sky. Canada
City
Waterloo
Year
2008
Owner
Regional Municipality of Waterloo
Concept and Design
Gorbet Design, Inc. – commissioned sculpture
Light Design
Gorbet Design, Inc.
LED Hardware
Gorbet Design, Inc.
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
Gorbet Design, Inc.
Elements
12 6”x6” aluminium shafts, angles and length determined by solar geometry
Kind of Light Creation
LED lighting, independently controlled (12x9 = 108 channels)
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Synchronized sine-wave patterns generated online by visitors to the sculpture’s website: www.solarcollector.ca
Urban Situation
Part of government complex in industrial area, part of fast-growing regional municipality.
Photo Credits
Gorbet Design, Inc.
E F
Each shaft holds three solar panels and three sets of lights. The panels collect the sun’s energy into batteries within each shaft. While they charge, Solar Collector also gathers human expression. Using a simple online tool, people create light compositions to become part of a nightly performance.
Country
D
Page 61
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
Star Place Kaohsiung, 2006-08 A vibrant new landmark has appeared in the fast and modern city of Kaohsiung: the luxury shopping center Star Place. Both inside and out, the building radiates a dynamism and the kind of bright perfection that the architect refers to as the ‘Made in Heaven Effect’. Everything about the building moves the eye. Fluent forms Technically acting as a sunscreen and weather barrier, the curved façade is fully glazed and combines the curtain wall glazing with horizontal lamellas and vertical glass fins. The position and size of each of the façade elements are derived from a twisted frame system, which is related to the interior organisation of the building. The concave front of the building displays different fluent forms when seen from varying distances and directs the visual field of the customers traveling on the spiraling escalators. Edge-lighting for the vertical glass fins spreads soft colors onto the façade at night. The lighting intensity and color effects are digitally controlled and choreographed adding another layer of fluidity to the building’s skin. Country
Taiwan
City
Kaohsiung
Year
2006-08
Owner
President Group
Architect
UNStudio
Light Design
UNStudio and Arup Lighting
Display Content
UNStudio, Lightlife (Cologne,Germany), Alliance Optotek Corporation (Hsinchu, Taiwan)
Façade Type and Geometry
Front façade: curtain wall with sunscreen made of aluminum lamellas and glass fins with dot frit and integrated edge lighting; back façade: aluminum paneling
Kind of Light Creation
Custom made full color LED edge lighting profiles integrated with glass holding fixtures on bottom of glass fins with modular length; the lighting fixture is designed with a combined optic of a condenser lens just above the LED and a linear Fresnel lens to distribute the light evenly across the entire length of the glass panel; the glass fins have screen printed dot frit to spread the light, therefore the become aglow;
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Low resolution - 2500 LED light modules (each 10 Watt) are integrated into the window frame, illuminating the frit, and allowing each glass fin to become a self-illuminating pixel by night; the lighting is programmed to create color flows that follow the dynamic pattern of the glass fins
Luminance
The operation of the façade starts at twilight and does not need to be visible during daylight, however the building is situated in a dense urban environment with high ambient light levels. It was required for the façade lighting to stand out against the city lighting without being too overpowering, and also to be visible in front of the interior lighting.
Urban Situation
The building is situated on a roundabout, the sunscreen façade appears dynamic on the convex shaped building as it is changing due to the viewers standpoint; at night the fins glow, visible from all angles and from long distances.
Showreel
The storyboard was developed based on different lighting scenes for different events, the theme of the ‘rising star’ combined the various sequences that were designed in aftereffects and applied to the control system programming.
Photo Credits
Christian Richters
Page 62
Project descriptions
State Grid Pavilion
A
Shanghai, 2010
B
The State Grid Pavilion ensemble is breathing an altering light–choreography that is initiated by the Magic Box façade screen. The breathing light–dress underlines the energetic power of the SGCC Pavilion.
C
Surrounded by impressions on all six sides
D
The Magic Box, a concept by ATELIER BRÜCKNER of Stuttgart, transports visitors of the Expo pavilion of the Chinese state-owned company State Grid to imaginary worlds. It is the pulsating heart of the State Grid Pavilion that clearly depicts the company’s responsibilities and visions in astounding images.
E F
Standing on a glass bridge, visitors are immersed in a spatial installation that becomes an emotionally charged experience. A tight grid of LEDs on the inner walls of the Magic Box allows a room to be contrived by light effects, enclosing visitors on six sides. They become part of a film, which transports them on a journey through time and space: from the origins of energy, by way of the transfer of energy across all of China down to the consumption of energy in the cities of the future. In striking images, the film (directed by Marc Tamschick, Berlin) conveys how the responsible use of energy ultimately leads to improvements in living conditions in cities. The all-embracing power grid, the prerequisite for targeted supply of energy, is represented in the prologue and epilogue to the film as an animated grid, revealing three-dimensionality and depth. The façades of the Magic Box too are beholden to the grid as leitmotiv. Technical impulses are emitted from the Magic Box, which is seemingly suspended in the horseshoe-shaped pavilion. Pulsating, they engulf the entire building complex and resume there in a network structure. The installation in the Magic Box becomes a pulse generator for power-charged grid lines, enclosing the entire pavilion building. Country
China
City
Shanghai
Year
2010
Building or Project Owner
SGCC, State Grid Corporation of China
Architecture
ATELIER BRUECKNER
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Prof. Uwe R. Brueckner
Display Content/Showreel
TAMSCHICK MEDIA+SPACE, medienprojekt p2
Sound Composition
Idee und Klang
Façade Type and Geometry
front façade 20.60 m wide x 19.10 m high, translucent, mirrored flip–tiles reflect the environment dynamically
Pixel or other basic element
RGB-LEDs with 58.800 pixel
Pixel Distance
pixel pitch: 10 cm
Description of Showreel
abstract, energy and grid theme alternate, rhythm like heartbeat
Page 63
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
Stern des Südens - Project Hope Munich, 2009 The Project Hope is an important symbol for the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen - it uses only as much electricity as a haidryer and can still produce amazing light shows. Art outside the museum Traxon Technologies innovative lighting fixtures were used to turn a windmill into a sensational piece of LED art. Equipped with over 1,000 ultra bright Dot XL-9 lighting fixtures (9,000 LEDs) the world’s biggest revolving media screen displays a multitude of stunning colors as well as medium-resolution video content. Challenged by the difficult winter-weather conditions as well as the implementation of an installation on a constantly rotating object, artist Michael Pendry chose Traxon as partner for realizing this spectacular project due to its innovative and customizable lighting solutions. IP67-rated the Dot XL offers exactly the flexibility needed for this demanding project. Available with 3, 6 or 9 high performance LEDs per dot casing the single controllable dots are mounted on an elastic cable with customizable pitch offering the possibility of an installation on almost any surface or three-dimensional shape. Furthermore the Dot XL has a robust casing that ensures full outdoor capability. Controllable by DMX as well as DVI input signals Traxon’s Dot XL displays full color lighting effects and spectacular video animations. Visible from a distance of up to 30 kilometers the LED windmill is a pioneering installation and a symbol for green energy, due to Traxon’s cutting-edge innovation using only as much electricity as one hair dryer or two water kettles. Country
Germany
City
Munich
Year
2009
Owner
Siemens
Artist
Michael Pendry
Light Design
Michael Pendry
LED Hardware
DOT XL-9
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
e:cue
Light Design, Technical Layout and LED Hardware
Traxon Technologies Ltd.
Façade Type and Geometry
LEDs mounted on a wind turbine
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
9,000 Siemens Osram light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
Luminance
medium: the show starts at dusk
Urban Situation
next to the A9 autobahn, a main traffic artery
Photo Credits
Traxon Technologies Ltd.
Link 1
www.traxontechnologies.com
Page 64
Project descriptions
The Chanel Ginza Tower
A
Ginza, Tokyo, 2004
B
With a brand that is admired and respected for grace and sophistication, Chanel once again dominated the world’s attention by establishing a new store in a place recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world: the Ginza district in Tokyo, Japan. Lighting Science Design Works partnered with Peter Marino Architect to pioneer the innovative utilization of media façades as a powerful yet elegant branding method.
D
A branded building
E
C
The Chanel Tower is the first true architectural integration of LED technology into a curtain wall environment. It pioneered the innovative utilization of media façades as a branding method. Lighting Science Design Works collaborated closely with the architects at Peter Marino Architect throughout the engineering and project design process to ensure the design intent to integrate the LED system in to the buildings structure was met. Over 23,000 individually addressable, monochrome LEDs were used to achieve the stunning façade that epitomized the meaning of understated elegance. The front façade comprised over 18,000 LEDs housed in 1,870 video fixtures; while the side façade hosted 5,040 LEDs encased in 560 video fixtures. Each fixture was created with lightweight extruded aluminum approximately 2 inches in diameter by 2 meters in length. Diffusers for the fixtures were constructed from electronically controlled Privalight glass. Privalite glass becomes opaque when voltage is applied directly. However, when voltage is shut off, the glass will adopt a frosty coloring that works as a diffuser for the video fixtures. In addition, each video fixture is meticulously spaced apart to further allow visibility through the windows, without compromising the overall display. During the day, blinds are retracted, allowing the Privalite glass to be energized, and at the same time, allowing people inside the building to see through the windows. At night, blinds are engaged to provide a black background for the illuminated video fixtures, and the Privalite glass reverts to its ivory coloring, providing a display screen for the LEDs. Country
Japan
City
Tokyo
Year
2004
Owner
Chanel
Architect
Peter Marino Architect
Display Content
Chanel
Project engineering, technological integration and installation
Lighting Science Design Works
Project Coordination
SGF Associates, Inc.
Façade Type and Geometry
Dual-layered glass façade enhanced with intelligent “Privalite” glass that interchange in opacity according to voltage levels. Additionally, 1,120 square meters of computer-operated canvas roller blinds provide a dramatic black backdrop for the video fixtures that accents the monochrome display at night.
Kind of Light Creation
Light is created from monochrome LED video tubes that are vertically mounted behind the first glass layer.
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Ultra-high density pixel grid was utilized as a video screen while Privalite glass served as a diffusion layer as the LED façade displayed shows.
Luminance
High. Illuminated with over 23,000 individually addressable, monochrome LEDs
Urban Situation
The Chanel Ginza Tower is located in the heart of the Ginza district in Tokyo, Japan, recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world.
Showreel
The façade displays Chanel promo clips and its distinguished double “C” logo.
Photo Credits
Lighting Science Design Works
Link 1
www.chanel-ginza.com
Link 2
www.lsgc.com
Link 3
www.petermarinoarchitect.com
Page 65
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Project descriptions
A B C D E F
The Cloud, London 2012 London, 2012 The principal effects of the Cloud are generated from their context – from the aerial sea of swarming data, from the diverse populations of London, the UK and the wider string of global villages, and from the seamless stretch of weather that unites us all. A cloud that tweets Proposed monument for London 2012 Olympics - The lightweight transparent tower, composed of a “cloud” of inflatable, light-emitting spheres, would create a spatial, three-dimensional display in the skies of London, fed by real time information from all over the world. The structure is “a new form of collective expression and experience and an updated symbol of our dawning age: code rather than carbon,” said Carlo Ratti, head of the MIT SENSEable City Laboratory and one of the project leaders. The size of the Cloud will not be set in advance, but it will evolve based on the level of contributions received. The global “cloudraising” effort (fundraising through crowd-sourcing online) will be supported by platforms such as Facebook and Twitter; Google will provide advertising on YouTube and in search results. The LEDs in the Cloud, fed by real time information, will be viewable from all over London - something which was of particular interest to Google. “When Carlo Ratti approached our founder Larry Page, we chose to collaborate because of his bold and visionary concept, and because the project fit with Google’s mission of organizing the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful,” explained Obi Felten and Matt Brittin, Managing Director of Google UK. “We particularly like the idea of the Cloud in the sky above London displaying information to the city and beyond - a powerful symbol for the openness and diversity of London, befitting the first truly digital Olympics.” Country
Great Britain
City
London
Year
2012
Architect
Carlo Ratti, Walter Nicolino, Alex Haw
Landscape Architects
Agence Ter
Structural engineering
Schlaich Bergermann und Partner
Artist
Tomas Saraceno
Light Design, Technical Layout
Arup
Graphic Designers
Studio FM Milano
Visualizations
GMU
Supported by
Obi Felten, Head of Consumer Marketing at Google
Structure
The structure is comprised of a filigree central array of columns – serving as circulation systems dropping from the sky like the tendrils of a banyan tree system.
Elements
The inflatable spheres are saturated with an LED information system which densifies locally into lightweight info-screen hotspots where visitors can interact with information from the immediate surroundings. The luminosity and air pressure of each sphere is independently controlled –– giving rise to the networked, self-organizing Cloud.
Urban Situation
A monument in the Olympic Park during the Olympic Games in London 2012
Photo Credits
www.raisethecloud.org
Link 1
www.raisethecloud.org
Page 66
Project descriptions
The World’s Largest Time Piece
A
Zurich, 2005
B
New christmas lighting for the famous Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich. The lighting spans a length of 1.1 kilometers using 275 tubes of light. A special software controls 8,800 LED bulbs that changes the light patterns and ambiance continuously in accordance with the level of activity in the street and the progression of time in the month of December.
C D
A different kind of christmas lights
E
In terms of urban planning, the installation connects the railway station to the lake. Its simple, linear course turns the band of light into the visual backbone of the city, accentuating the appearance of the Bahnhofstrasse and its two slight yet distinct changes in direction. The 7 m high, round tubes had to provide light evenly in all directions, and be able to withstand heavy windloads despite being light in weight. We therefore had to find a rigid, robust casing material that would also transmit light. The final tube was 7 m long and 15 cm in diameter, but its shell was only 2 mm thick; including the lighting and control technology, it weighed just under 23 kg. Intense engagement with the computer-operated production process allowed us to integrate two normally incongruent requirements into a single material, thus using wound glass fibres for lighting on this scale for the first time. During the Christmas season the Bahnhofstrasse is illuminated for eight hours every night, with a constant flow of changing light sequences. Thus the lights are “played” by custom software that controls the 8,800 LED bulbs in real time. We designed the parameters and rules of the algorithm to be potentially unlimited. The installation’s distinctive identity is conferred by the constant creation of new, unpredictable light patterns. Movement sensors affect the design and reflect what is going on below. But the Christmas lighting responds to people on the street gently and quietly, without overemphasising its interactivity. Country
Switzerland
City
Zurich
Year
2005
Owner
Zurich Bahnhofstrasse Association
Architect
Gramazio & Kohler, Zurich
Structural engineering
Arup London
Light Design
ARUP Lighting
LED Hardware
IMS, Industrial Micro Systems
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
IMS, Industrial Micro Systems
Structure
hanging structure
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
275 LED lightbars spaning over one kilometre
Urban Situation
in the middle of a one km long street “Züricher Bahnhofstraße”
Photo Credits
Roman Keller
Link 1
www.gramaziokohler.com
F
Page 67
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
The Yas Hotel Abu Dhabi, 2009 The Yas Hotel, a 500-room, 85,000-square-meter complex, is one of the main architectural features of the ambitious 36-billion-dollar Yas Marina development and accompanying Formula 1 raceway circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Asymptote envisioned an architectural landmark embodying various key influences and inspirations ranging from the aesthetics and forms associated with speed, movement and spectacle to the artistry and geometries forming the basis of ancient Islamic art and craft traditions. A hotel and a race track The architectural marvel of the Middle East, YAS Hotel in Abu Dhabi, completed with the launch of the first Formula 1™ race held on October 30th 2009 at the new Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix circuit built around the hotel is the world’ s biggest LED project, to date, controlled through RDM (Remote Device Management) protocol by an advanced lighting control solution provided by e:cue lighting control. The main design attraction of this 500-room, 85,000-square-meter complex, is the curvilinear grid-shell covered with over 5,300 diamond-shaped steel panels, containing nearly 5000 RGBW LED fixtures, controlled by e:cue’ s CONTROL SERVER through RDM protocol. Thirty two e:cue BUTLER XTs, RDM capable, provide bidirectional communication between the LED lighting on the grid-shell, and e:cue’ s CONTROL SERVER for status monitoring of LEDs. The system sends status reports to building management and automatically adjusts the intensity of LEDs to prevent overheating. Country
Vereinigte Arabische Emirate
City
Abu Dhabi
Year
2009
Owner
United Arab Emirates
Architect
Asymptote Architecture
Façade Design
Asymptote Architecture
Light Design
Arup Lighting, New York
LED Hardware
Enfis/Cooper Lighting
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
e:cue lighting control
Technology
Butler XT, LCS1, Media Engine 2, Connect Base 8
Elements
Thirty two e:cue BUTLER XTs, RDM capable to provide bidirectional communication between the LED lighting on the grid-shell, and e:cue’ s CONTROL SERVER for status monitoring of LEDs. The system sends status reports to building management and automatically adjusts the intensity of LEDs to prevent overheating.
Urban Situation
in the middle of a formula 1 race track
Photo Credits
Asymptote Architecture, Traxon Technologies Ltd.
Drawing Credits
Asymptote Architecture
Link 1
www.asymptote.net
Link 2
www.ecue.de
Page 68
Project descriptions
U-Town Shopping Center
A
Beijing, 2011
B
The U-Town Mall is located at the central area of Chaoyang Men, Beijing City. This area is dominated by shopping centers and foreign embassies. The aim is to create a feeling of young lifestyle with this media façade.
C
Lighting Sculpture This LED lighting sculpture is a unique design construction, which was built using LEDs of AHL. The sculpture, which was completed in 2011, uses a steel core covered with a mesh fabric. Inside are 90.000 AHL S18 LEDs, which are arranged at a pitch of 80mm. Country
China
City
Beijing
Year
2011
Light Design
AHL Lighting
LED Hardware
AHL Lighting
Lighting Control Software and Hardware
AHL Lighting
Pixel or other basic element
90.000 AHL LEDs - model S18
Pixel Distance
80 mm
Luminance
Medium brightness - with a fabric cover on the light sculpture‘s surface
Urban Situation
The U-Town Shopping Mall, is a new mega sized shopping center in the Chaoyang area targeting 22-35 year old business people.
Description of Showreel
The LED lighting sculpture shows welcome messages, famous brand names and logos of brands that attract young people as well as promoting messages.
Photo Credits
Tac Lion
Video Credits
Tac Lion
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D E F
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
UEC Iluma - Crystal Mesh Singapore, 2009 Crystal Mesh is a façade for the ILUMA building complex in Singapore. It’s a “bastard” as it combines aspects of a conventional curtain façade with those of a light installation or monitor-façade. Crystal Mesh - Ornamental and granulated light and media façade Façade design effective both at day and night: The concept blurs boundaries as it merges the concept of a media screen with an ornamental architectural screen filtering air and light, while blending futuristic imagery and 70’s Vegas style. Crystal Mesh consists of a tessellated pattern made of over 3,000 modules of deep-drawn polycarbonate covering a façade area of more than 5,000 m2. About 1,900 of these modules contain a regular matrix of compact fluorescent light tubes forming “active patches” within the façade. At night the light matrix superimposes the idiosyncratic physical structure of the white, crystalline daytime façade. But the irregular arrangement of these patches – dividing the façade into areas with different resolutions – does not create a large, homogeneous screen in front of the building, but instead forms a more general impression of the building’s “media-ness” as a surplus to and an essential ingredient of its architecture. A herald of an architecture which is moving from a static to a dynamic art. Country
Singapore
City
Singapore
Year
2009
Owner
Jack Investment
Architect
WOHA Architects
Façade Design
WOHA Architects & realities:united
Light Design
realities:united
Light Hardware
SE Lightmanagement AG & Million Lighting Pte Ltd
Lighting Control Software
John Dekron & Erik Levander/ thismedia in collaboration with realities:united
Lighting Control Hardware
SE Lightmanagement AG
Façade Type and Geometry
Double layer façade construction with a non-transparent inner façade and an outer façade layer that consists of a tessellated pattern made of deep-drawn polycarbonate modules; two thirds of these modules contain a regular matrix of compact fluorescent light tubes forming “active patches” within the façade.
Kind of Light Creation
Compact fluorescent light tubes (custom fixtures)
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
6069 pixels (total active façade areas: 2550 m2; high resolution areas: 1750 m2; low resolution areas: 800 m2)
Luminance
High; used under twilight conditions and at night
Urban Situation
The building is located in the Bugis area, Singapore’s designated entertainment district, just opposite the national library; the installation faces one of the area’s busiest roads
Photo Credits
realities:united, Berlin; Dirk Enters, Berlin
Link 1
realities-united.de/#PROJECT,138,1
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Project descriptions
Wanda Plaza
A
Tangshan, 2011
B
The Wanda Plaza is a new landmark in the city of Tangshan, Hebei Province China. The media façade covers 4 entrance gates of Wanda Plaza, creating the most amazing effects.
C
Spectacular Media Façade
D
This LED façade screen covers Wanda Plaza shopping mall’s 4 entrances, with over 2,000 square meters. The entrance gates are equipped with AHL model C30, embed on aluminum panels with a pitch of 100mm. All the panels are installed behind the glasses of the gates, using in total 200,000 LED pixels. Country
China
City
Tangshan
Year
2011
Building or Project Owner
Wanda Group
Façade Type and Geometry
The media façade at the entrance gates are installed at the inside of the building behind the glass façade. Aluminium panels are used to hold the LED pixels.
Pixel or other basic element
AHL LEDs - model C30
Pixel Distance
100 mm
Luminance
Medium brightness.
Urban Situation
The Wanda Plaza, as a new landmark of the city of Tangshan, wants to show with this media entrances that it - also at night - has a leading position in the commercial industry.
Description of Showreel
The media façades shows the logo of the Wanda Group. its company name and messages from the group. Also some animations are shown, eg. ocean life.
Photo Credits
Tac Lion
Video Credits
Tac Lion
E F
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Project descriptions
A B C D E F
Wilkie Edge - Aamp, Singapore 2009 Singapore, 2009 The “Architectural Advertising Amplifier” (AAMP) is a permanent generative media art installation at “Wilkie Edge”, a mixed commercial development in Singapore. AAMP is creating transitional aspects between a commercial LED billboard that had already been set into the façade and the actual architecture of the building. Architectural Advertising Amplifier To create a continuously changing content, AAMP “hijacks” the never-ending stream of commercial content displayed on the LED billboard: A specialized artistic software permanently analyzes this content and transforms it into a visual color-echo that is displayed on the AAMP installation in real time. Triggered by the results of the software’s image analysis, various algorithms are applied to automatically “digest” the incoming images and generate a never-repeating artistic interpretation. Although the resolution of the installation is extremely low, the displayed abstract images and patterns maintain an astonishing degree of legibility as the human brain manages to link and associate the color patterns back to the originating moving images displayed on the commercial LED billboard. While the production of an artistic light aura as such is the default operational mode, two special modes are there to add an extra twist: With “Recursive Mode,” the software not only processes the AAMP behavior, but also aesthetically feeds back onto the LED billboard itself in real time, i.e., the software artistically manipulates the screened commercials and acts on both the high-end and the low-end screen. While the use of “Recursive Mode” is bound to special agreements with the advertisers, “Dream Mode” is automatically used at all times when no paid commercials are scheduled for display – here the AAMP machine starts “dreaming” by generating a unique, abstract yet poetic art piece based on all the commercials shown – and recorded – in the past. While commercial LED billboards on most buildings remain “anti-architectural elements,” AAMP is an attempt to generate a transitional joint between the realms of art, architecture, and advertising. Maybe it can help to enrich the ongoing discussion about the use of large-scale advertising as an undeniable element of today’s urban reality. Country
Singapore
City
Singapore
Year
2009
Owner
CapitaLand Commercial and Integrated Development Ltd.
Architect
WOHA Architects
Concept and Design
realities:united
Light Design
realities:united
Light Design, Technical Layout
realities:united
Software Development
John Dekron & Erik Levander / thismedia
Structure
Installed in the outer layer of a double skin façade, each of the individual LED lights is used as a “light projector” inducing a square color projection onto the inner hull. The Venetian blinds in front of the office windows serve as projection screens.
Resolution and Transmitting Behavior
Low resolution - content is projected onto the inner blinds that form the screen
Urban Situation
This media installation does not cover up, but transforms the architecture to become a carrier of digital information and an urban landmark at the same time.
Photo Credits
realities:united, Berlin
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Project descriptions
YTN Center
A
Seoul, 2013
B
The new headquarters for the YTN broadcasting company in Sangam DMC presents a creative digital media faรงade, which is in harmony with the fundamental sustainability and reduced ecological footprint of modern metropolitan architecture.
C D
Merging media faรงade with ecological planning The YTN Headquaters building, when completed in 2013, will present a new landmark in Sangnam DMC. The 60.659sqm construction will offer 17 floors above ground level plus a basement complex and will house both the group's broadcasting facilities and its company offices, as well as additional recreational and gastromomic conveniences. The choice of both location and optimum form of the construction were based on extensive environmental simulations of local weather conditions and available sunlight. Further energy-saving elements such as green roof, PV system and rainwater collection and storage facilities help reduce the building's ecological footprint to a minimum. Incorparating a media faรงade into this ecological concept therefore represented a considerable challenge. The solution proved to be a proprietary, low-energy LED lighting installation, using A-deco fixtures from Galaxia Electronics, which will be integrated into the faรงade's motorized outdoor louvre system, thus enhancing the building with a responsive, almost living, media skin. Country
Korea
City
Seoul
Year
2013
Architecture
Hee-rim
Light Design
Nanam ALD
Light/LED Hardware
Galaxia Electronics
Pixel or other Basic Elements
A-deco fixtures from Galaxia Electronics
Urban Situation
Landmark building with 17 floors
Photo Credits
Galaxia Electronics
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E F
Project descriptions
A B C D E F
City Bug Report Media Architecture Biennale, Aarhus, 2012 The city is broken. And the people have the ability to fix it. By reporting the “bugs” of the city, or by suggesting new “features”, citizens can help shape and prioritize the city’s effort in the future – and sometimes fix the bugs or build the feature themselves within the Smart Aarhus ecosystem. City hall tower with media façade The iconic modernist Aarhus city hall tower will act as a huge barometer, visualizing the current “state of the city” based on citizen’s reports. Everything – from potholes in the road to badly translated webpages to wishes for a better airport. This is a statement from the municipality saying two things: First of all, the city is everyone, not just the administration. They need citizen engagement in order to fix and shape the future of Aarhus. At the same time, it is an invitation to dialog, to everyone to voice his or her opinion about the current state of the city, and take their share of the responsibility for the issues that are not immediately addressable by the municipal administration. Second, it is a sign from the city of the wish to be transparent and digital in its dialog. The 60 m tall city hall tower is covered with 5,500 LED pixels in four bands, following the architecture. Here, the current state of the city is visualized. The tower is only part of a larger system, and is directly connected to a collection of citizen services, including a reporting and dialog frontend for everyone to use. Country
Denmark
City
Aarhus
Year
2012
Building or Project Owner
Aarhus City Hall
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Media Architecture Institute
Façade Design
PIT & CAVI, Aarhus University, and Media Architecture Institute
Façade Construction
PIT & CAVI, Aarhus University, and WestCoast
Light Design
PIT & CAVI, Aarhus University
Technical / LED Layout
PIT & CAVI, Aarhus University, and Media Architecture Institute
Display Content/Showreel
PIT & CAVI, Aarhus University
Light/LED Hardware
AHL Lighting Group
Project Coordination
PIT & CAVI, Aarhus University
Interaction D./Programming
PIT & CAVI, Aarhus University
Project Sponsor/Support
AHL Lighting Group, Aarhus Municipality, Realdania, Aarhus University
Façade Type and Geometry
Chains of LEDs fixed on a steel frame. Four bands, attached to the railings.
Kind of Light Creation
Custom made full color LED lighting chains.
Resolution and Transmitting Behaviour
Four low resolution LED bands that wrap around the tower. 8 x ~45 pixels for each side.
Urban Situation
The city hall tower can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. It creates a common reference point, in this case for the state of the city.
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PIT & CAVI, Aarhus University
Project descriptions
I Am Feeling
A
Aarhus, 2009 and 2012; Lund, 2012
B
I Am Feeling is a lighting installation that displays emotions expressed on internet blogs using changing coloured architectural light and text on displays. The changing light corresponds directly to current emotions expressed on internet blogs. When the light is bright yellow the feeling is happy and positive. Sad negative feelings are dark blue. Angry feelings are red and calm feelings are green.
D
The emotional urban space
E
C
Every day people express their feelings emotions on blogs on the internet. I Am Feeling brings these feelings into a new context colouring up the urban space. The project We Feel Fine (2006) by Sep Kamvar and Jonathan Harris, continuously crawls internet blogs looking for expressions of emotions looking for sentences that start with "I feel" or "I am feeling". Each emotion is then stored in a database that is openly accessible through an API. The first adjective in the sentence (eg. good, better, bad, lonely) is manually assigned a colour that matches the tone of the emotion. I Am Feeling displays current expressions of emotions from internet blogs lighting up the city space. In a sense the murmur of online activity is brought to the murmur of the city invoking a kind of identification from the blogger to the viewer situated in the city.
F
On October 9th 2009 the City Hall Tower in Aarhus, Denmark lit up based on how the world was feeling at that time. The tower was open to the public and visitors could see the corresponding text on a flat panel outside on the top of the tower while there was a 2.5 by 4 meter text projection at the ground floor visible from the street. From September 12th to 15th the University House in Lund lit up based on how the world was feeling at that time. During the Media Architecture Biennale 2012, November 15th to 17th, a large beam of light shots up in the sky from the main venue of Godsbanen, also transporting the world‘s feelings. Country
Denmark (2009+2012) / Sweden (2012)
City
Aarhus (2009+2012) / Lund (2012)
Year
2009 / 2012
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Kristian Pödenphant Lund
Lighting Control Software
Actionsscript, NetLab Toolkit, Mediacontrol, Enttec USB Pro
Project Coordination
Kristian Pödenphant Lund
Project Sponsor/Support
Aarhus Municipality (2009) / Martin Professional A/S, A&O Technology, CAVI Aarhus University, Godsbanen (2012) / Lund University (2012),
Pixel or other Basic Elements
Tracpod TP81 by (2009) / FALCON BEAM Color 7000 W by A&O Technology (2012) / CityColor IP54 (Lund 2012)
Kind of Light Creation
In Aarhus, 2009, 80 TracPod81 were placed on the platforms on each segment of the city hall tower. The lamps for each segment was individually addressable. In Lund, 2012, the front facade was lit up by 7 CityColor IP54. In Aarhus, 2012, two 7000 W FALCON BEAM Color searchlights were installed at cultural production centre Godsbanen.
Luminance
The installation is only effective through the evening and night in the late autumn an winter time.
Urban Situation
In Aarhus in 2012 the two searchlight beams function as markers in the sky of the Media Architecture Biennale 2012.
Photo Credits
Uggi Kaldan, Simon Schmidbauer
Link 1
www.kpodenphant.dk
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Project descriptions
Responsive Urban Lighting
A
Media Architecture Biennale, Aarhus, 2012
B D
Responsive Urban Lighting is a installation developed by Department for Architecture, Design and Media Technology, Aalborg University, the set-up in the yard of Godsbanen in the context of MAB Exhibition in 2012 is an installation that reveals the designs developed at a dedicated workshop at the MAB. On top of this, the installation offers the audience a possibility to create their own light design through the projects web interface.
E
Responsive Urban Lighting
F
Workshop: Responsive Urban Lighting From: Department for Architecture, Design and Media Technology (AD:MT), AAU Workshop leader: Ph. D. candidate Esben Skouboe Poulsen, Technical assistance: Cand. Polyt. Tobias Thyrrestrup, Ass. Professor Hans Jørgen Andersen.
C
Goal: It is the goal of the workshop to explore design strategies for responsive street lighting in urban settings. By using thermo camera tracking techniques different kind of occupancy can be utilized to drive the responsive urban lighting (walking, running, standing, sitting etc.). Merged with personalized data captured from Smart Phones we are able to customize individualized lighting scenarios and explore new designs that challenge the multi-user interaction discussions. The goal of this one day workshop is to build and sketch multi-user response patterns for urban lighting, though iterative experimental studies using responsive architectural models, the workshop participants will design different response strategies, which will be tested in 1:1 on 5 lamps placed in the selected urban space outside the workshop area. This installation will turn the urban space into a laboratory of the street and allow the participants to observe and evaluate social, aesthetic and energy related qualities of their responsive light designs.
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Country
Denmark
City
Aarhus
Year
2012
Workshop leader
Phd. Candidate Esben Skouboe Poulsen
Technical assistance
Cand. Polyt. Tobias Thyrrestrup, Ass. Professor Hans Jørgen Andersen
Project descriptions
Light Spots
A
Media Architecture Biennale, Aarhus, 2012
B
Interactive urban furnitures
C
Urban Furniture The project Light Spots aims at designing a new generation of interactive urban furniture, which are able to interact with each other, creating new social spaces and new forms of playful interaction between citizens. The project is one among several initiated by the Danish Light Innovation Network. The first step of the project is to produce a number of prototypes for a public square in Aarhus, Denmark. The project is carried out by danish design office Kollision in collaboration with Aarhus School of Architecture, Municipality of Aarhus, and the companies Out-Sider and Martin Professional. Realdania financially supports the project.
D E F
Prototypes The prototypes of Light Spots urban furniture are equipped with sensor-controlled sources of light, allowing them to interact with other Light Spots in the area. In the evening, the Light Spots will glow dimly, inviting people to sit. When sitting down, the light will grow brighter, creating a circle of light and shooting a beam of light, which can be aimed at one of the other Light Spots to activate it. The aim of the prototypes is to experiment with different settings, expressions and interaction opportunities. The design Each piece of urban furniture is built in two parts. The lower part stands firmly on the ground and the top is a plastic shell as a large seat cushion, which can be rotate on its own axis, allowing the user to control the direction of the beam of light. When not in use, the Light Spots will glow, change color and rotate on their own. Country
Denmark
City
Aarhus
Year
2012
Initiator
Danish Light Innovation Network
Project Artist/Concept/Planning
Kollision in cooperation with Aarhus School of Architecture, Municipality of Aarhus, and the companies Out-Sider and Martin Professional
Project Sponsor/Support
Realdania
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PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS
Spine
A
Media Architecture Biennale, Aarhus, 2012
B D
SPINE is a spatial mechanical interactive installation created specially for MAB 2012. It responds and reacts on the visitors in the Raw Hall at Godsbanen in Aarhus. Over the hours of the day it changes its appearance in a very simple way, from dynamic moving boxes acting like a being, to become almost magic when the daylight disappears and the warm light appears in the cubes.
E
Spatial mechanical interactive installation
F
SPINE consists of more than twenty singular physical elements that are moved by electronically controlled winches and gives a aesthetically experience when entering the beautiful Raw Hall, a nineteentwentys wooden structure of more than 60 meters. People moving around in the large room will be met by this almost creature like installation‘s movements, sounds and lights.
C
SPINE is an installation created by local forces in Aarhus. Mads Wahlberg is the owner of Wahlberg Light and Motion Design that based on a series of winches and other mechanical products make custom solutions for stage performance. Henrik Munch is a composer and producer thats been working with interactive sound scapes in different projects. Henrik Munch is also professor at the Royal Academy of Music teaching electronic music. Kollision is a Danish design office founded in 2000. Kollision specialize in interactive communication, interaction design, dynamic media architecture, and citizen participation in architectural projects and urban development. CAVI - Centre of Advanced Visualization and Interaction - Aarhus University, is a research and development center that focuses on interaction design and advanced visualization.
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Country
Denmark
City
Aarhus
Year
2012
Team
Mads Wahlberg(Wahlberg Light and Motion Design), Henrik Munch, Kollision, CAVI - Centre of Advanced Visualization and Interaction - Aarhus University
MEDIA ARCHITECTURE CONFERENCE 2012
Media Architecture Conference 2012 For the first time in the history of Media Architecture Biennale, the biennale features an academic conference interweaved with the biennale programme. This year’s theme is Participation. The conference is in collaboration with the Association for Computing and Machinery ACM and it also features a full day of doctoral consortium for PhD students from around the globe. The conference explores “participation” as a core value of media architecture. In this context, participation may occur in the initial design stages of media architecture, e.g. as different practitioners, stakeholders and potential audiences take part in shaping future media architecture; it may occur when media architecture is realized and people experience and interact with it, e.g. when public spaces and urban environments and the practices they shape are influenced by elements of media architecture; it may also occur as new platforms give rise to new opportunities for shaping systems and surroundings. The conference is based on rigorously peer-reviewed academic papers grouped thematically around notions of: theory, lessons for design, hybrid environments, case studies. An overview of the topics can be found below: Session One: Theory • Occupation of The ‘Open City’ • The Implied Producer • Framing the Media Architectural Body Session Two: Lessons for Design • Towards Visualising People’s Ecology of Hybrid Personal Learning Environments • Odenplan – a media façade design process • Designing for Collective Participation with Media Installations in Public Spaces Session Three: Hybrid Environments • Urban Sound Interfaces – Poetic Approaches to Media Architecture • The Political Sensorium • Media Architecture – Participation through the Senses Session Four: Case Studies • Using Public Displays to Stimulate Passive Engagement, Active Engagement, and Discovery in Public Spaces • Experiencing Participatory and Communicative Urban Lighting through LightStories • Developing a Neighbourhood Toolkit Conference Programme Chairs Peter Dalsgaard (Aarhus University) & Ava Fatah gen Schieck (The Bartlett, UCL) For more information see: http://mab12.mediaarchitecture.org/paper-sessions/
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MEDIA ARCHITECTURE WORKSHOPS 2012
Media Architecture Workshops 2012 Workshops at the Media Architecture Biennale featured a wide spectrum of disciplines and topics of interest: Designers, researchers, artists and practitioners from industry and academia came together to discuss and explore various areas of media architecture design and research. The workshops approached these areas from various perspectives: The programme included workshops that focused on academic themes, such as methods for involving and activating stakeholders in the process of prototyping media architectural experiences, as well as workshops that explored relevant themes through artistic approaches, such as the role of acoustic data in urban space. The programme was rounded up by two workshops hosted at design offices based in Aarhus, including our Media Architecture Biennale 2012 partner Martin Professional. The following workshops were held as part of the Media Architecture Biennale 2012: Prototyping for Ownership Organisers: Klaus Birk (Media Design, DHBW & Information Environments, UAL London) Roman Grasy (Intuity Media Lab) URBAN HCI: Interactive Media Architecture and Disproportionate Scale Organisers: Patrick Tobias Fischer (University of Strathclyde & VR/Urban) Sven Gehring (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)) Responsive Urban Lighting Organiser: Esben Skouboe Poulsen (Aalborg University, Denmark) Urban Media Network for Connecting Cities Organiser: Susa Pop (Public Art Lab, Berlin) The importance of collaboration partners Organisers: Leif Orkelbog-Andresen (Martin Professional A/S) Rune Nielsen (KOLLISION) Workshops Chairs: Martin Tomitsch (Design Lab, University of Sydney) & Alexander Wiethoff (University of Munich) For more information see: http://mab12.mediaarchitecture.org/workshops/
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Featured PARTNERS
Featured partners
Galaxia Electronics Galaxia Electronics, based in Seoul, South Korea, is one of the world’s leading specialists in LED display and lighting solutions. Drawing on years of experience in LED video wall technology, Galaxia helped pioneer the use of cutting-edge LED lighting and control systems in media architecture and media facades. Whilst product development and innovation remain a driving force behind Galaxia’s success, they are also renowned for the all-weather reliability and sustainability of their products. As part of the Hyosung Corporation, Galaxia Electronics can offer its partners both the financial security of a major international concern and the full support of a global network of branch offices. It is therefore not surprising that the company’s long list of references already includes some of the largest, longest running and most prestigious media architecture projects in the world.
AHL Lighting AHL Lighting, one of the most important manufacturers of media façades in the world, also the sole official partner for Media Architecture Institute (MAI) in China. AHL is committed to providing whole solutions for lighting projects, from media façade design, LED production and installation guidance to creative effects after installation. AHL only makes its own patented LED pixels (more than 40 patents). AHL projects can be found in all over China and the five continents worldwide, Government Building, Stage shows, Landmarks, Stadium etc. Beijing Golden Tower, Telecom Malaysia, Singapore UOB Bank are all parts of our success.
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Featured partners
Martin Professional Martin Professional offers a contemporary approach to architectural illumination through dynamic light. We are a global leader in the creation of dynamic visual solutions used to enhance a wide range of indoor and outdoor architectural and commercial settings and have worked in partnership with some of the world’s leading architects and lighting designers across a range of challenging projects. Our involvement with entertainment lighting has taught us that designing with light is not just a question of lux and lumens but contains a dynamic and magical quality capable of creating luminous drama. We apply this equally to the architectural stage. As one of the most experienced and knowledgeable dynamic lighting companies, we offer a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art luminaires and video display systems that include high quality LED light sources that are among the most energy-efficient on the market. Martin also offers a range of advanced lighting controllers, video processors and media servers. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, Martin operates a highly capable distributor and service network worldwide. For more information, please visit www.martin.com
European Urban Media Network for Connecting Cities The European Urban Media Network for Connecting Cities aims at creating an exchange between urban activists, artists and city inhabitants via media facades and large digital screens located in the public space of our cities. From 2012 to 2016, the Connecting Cities Network will set up a European infrastructure of urban media facades, projections, including DIY mobile screening units, through a series of Connecting Cities events, workshops, conferences and artists’ programmes like research residencies and mobile urban media labs. These process oriented interventions and public activities constitute the heart of the project. As an interdisciplinary network, Connecting Cities will give our cultural interests a political and economic dimension when it comes to the digital development of our urban spaces. The Connecting Cities Network is initiated by Public Art Lab Berlin in cooperation with the Media Architecture Institute Vienna, Ars Electronica Futurelab Linz, BIS (Body Process Arts Association) Istanbul, FACT Liverpool, iMAL Brussels, m-cult Helsinki, Medialab Prado Madrid, Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, Riga 2014 Videospread Marseille, University of Aarhus, Marseille-Provence 2013, MUTEK Montréal and Quartier des spectacles Montréal. The project is supported by the Culture Programme 2007-2013 of the European Union. www.connectingcities.net
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CreditS
Credits BIENNALE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE General Chair Martin Brynskov (Aarhus University) Conference Programme Chairs Peter Dalsgaard (Aarhus University) & Ava Fatah gen Schieck (The Bartlett, UCL) Exhibition and Awards Chairs/Curators Gernot Tscherteu (Media Architecture Institute) & Morten Lervig (CAVI, Aarhus University) Workshop Chairs Martin Tomitsch (University of Sydney) & Alexander Wiethoff (University of Munich) Industry Chairs Hank Haeusler (University of New South Wales) & Martin Brynskov (Aarhus University) Doctoral Consortium Chairs Jamie Allen (Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design) & Søren Pold (Aarhus University) Communication Chairs Lone Koefoed Hansen (Aarhus University), communications chair, Mette Stentoft (Aarhus), journalist & Kasper Aae (Aarhus University), webmaster Advisors Kim Halskov (Aarhus University), senior advisor, & Tobias Ebsen (Aarhus University), junior advisor STUDENT VOLUNTEER COORDINATION Louise Kjærgaard & Janne Bach Sørensen A BIG THANK YOU! TO All the student volunteers
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CREDITS
EXHIBITION AND AWARDS TEAM Exhibition and Awards Chairs/Curators Gernot Tscherteu (Media Architecture Institute) & Morten Lervig (CAVI, Aarhus University) Outdoor Project Installations Morten Lervig (CAVI, Aarhus University) & Martin Brynskov (Aarhus University) RESEARCH Wolfgang Leeb & Petra Hendrich CONTENT MANAGEMENT Petra Hendrich & Tobi Schäfer ART DIRECTION CI and catalogue design: Stine Sandahl – www.sandahls.net Exhibition posters: Katrin Schoof – www.katrinschoof.de TECHNICAL DIRECTOR GODSBANEN Niels Østergaard IPAD DESIGNERS AND PROGRAMMERS 2012 Version: Kasper Aae, Rolf Bagge, Janus Kristensen & Tobi Schäfer 2010 Version: Martin Tomitsch, Bernard Bucalon, Josh McInerheney, Loan Myers, Oliver Dawson & Tobi Schäfer POSTER PRINTS M8 Labor für Gestaltung, Berlin AWARD JURY Ben Rubin (EAR Studio) Ava Fatah gen Schieck (The Bartlett, UCL) Martin Brynskov (Aarhus University) Morten Lervig (Aarhus University) Hank Häusler (Media Architecture Institute) Martin Tomitsch (Media Architecture Institute) Gernot Tscherteu (Media Architecture Institute)
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BIOS
Editor Biographies Dr. Gernot Tscherteu Founding member of the Media Architecture Institute. Gernot studied political science at the University of Vienna. Since 1991 he has worked as a interaction designer and researcher. Between 2002 and 2005 he worked as coordinator for the LED project “Leuchtathletik” at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna. Co-organiser of Media Architecture Conference 2007, manager of research consortium mediafacade.net, a group comprising design consultancies and major architectural and manufacturing companies and research institutions, which aims to develop standardised state-of- the-art technology for media facades. 2008 curator of Media Facades Exhibition Berlin 2008 and co-curator of Media Facades Festival 2008. Organiser of the Media Facades Summit 2010 and Co-organiser of Media Architecture Biennale 2010. Co-organiser of Media Facades Summit 2012. Co-editor of books “Urban Media Cultures” and “Media Facades II” both published in 2012. Morten Constantin Lervig, MMA Master of Multimedia Arts. Head of department at CAVI – Centre of Advanced Visualization and Interaction – Aarhus University since 2001. In charge of external productions in CAVI. Since 2007 head of the national mandate for digital art and digital experience, funded by the Ministry of Culture. Has worked as artist, designer, composer, producer and curator as well as production manager. Extensive experience in interaction design, prototyping, interactive art, interdisciplinary works including scenic art, fine art, installation, sound, visuals, interactive tables etc. Production manager for dynamic light design on the Denmark Pavillion, World Expo Shanghai 2010. Member of the board for Godsbanen, head of the board for RADAR. Dr. Martin Brynskov Martin Brynskov, Ph.D., is associate professor in interaction technologies at the Department of Aesthetics and Communication at Aarhus University in Denmark. He is also research fellow at Participatory IT Centre (PIT) and Center for Advanced Visualization and Interaction (CAVI), director of the Digital Design Lab, co-founder of Smart Aarhus, and former director of the Civic Communication group at the Center for Digital Urban Living. Working closely together with municipalities, artists, journalists, media organizations, and industrial partners, he investigates the consequences of digitization and explores new forms of mediation within a variety of domains with special focus on the role of social interaction, materials and interfaces. The research is mostly carried out as interventions and experiments in the wild, deploying prototypes and semi-permanent interactive systems. He was the project lead of Aarhus by Light and has been involved in numerous projects and products based on social interaction mediated by technology, working together with public institutions and industrial partners, including LEGO and Bang & Olufsen. During his doctoral work at the Center for Interactive Spaces (Dept. of Computer Science, Aarhus University), he developed tools for social construction for children using mobile and pervasive media based on the notion of “digital habitats”. He also holds an MA in information studies and classical Greek.
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www.mab12.org
Design路 www.sandahls.net
A project by
Main partners
With the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union
In-Cooperation
Part of European Urban Media Network for Connecting Cities initiated by Public Art Lab in co-organisation with Ars Electronica, Media Architecture Institute, FACT, Amber Platform, Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, m-cult, Medialab-Prado, iMAL, Foundation Riga 2014 and Videospread
Partners and sponsors