Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) has completed the installation of a media wall feature which has integrated solid state lighting and forms a visual centrepiece in the foyer of the new 11 storey building at 110 Fetter Lane (a site formally known as Rolls & Arnold House) in the heart of Farringdon in the City of London.
The space is currently taken up by the Royal Courts of Justice housing an extension to its 120-year-old Victorian gothic building on The Strand, and a leading offshore bank.
Working for clients Delancey, the main contractor and installer for the construction project, LTP was brought in to provide specialist AV and integration services for both the video wall and a surrounding scenic lighting ‘frame’ which is prominent in the reception area.
LTP specified Philips SSL Flex MX nodes, complete with frosted shallow lenses to back light and diffuse the light evenly across the surface area of the Macrolon frame, effectively creating a light box. This surrounds the nine 46” LCD video screens offset to the right of the frame.
For the video, nine ultra-thin bezel screens were selected so they could be offered together with minimal gaps, and these are installed in a 3 x 3 format to a brief from Richard Palmer of Delancey.
The Flex MX nodes enable the panels – and therefore the entire 8 metre long by 3 metre tall media wall – to colour change as required, bringing a dynamic kinetic, mood-enhancing feel to the large, stylish reception space, designed by Woods Bagot, which also features a prominent polished anthracite reception desk.
The RGB LED nodes are set to 160 mm pitch, 6 nodes high and 50 wide, spread across the back board of each element of the light box.
For control of the Flex MX, LTP specified the Philips SSL Light System Engine, an Ethernet-based controller which gives the additional flexibility of being able to generate low resolution effects across the wall like sparkles, swirls, droplets and twinkles, plus colour flows/swipes, rainbows and assorted other animated effects using .png slides running at up to 50 frames per second.
The project was managed for LTP by Keith Elms. “We have worked with Delancey on a number of previous projects,” he said, “and it was great to be asked to come up with a visual solution for this one, which takes the classic principals of the light box and applies them in a contemporary context to suit the profile and function of the space”.
The hi res LCD video screens are driven by a C-Nario advertiser system also specified by LTP which delivers easily updatable custom content and live RF feeds (e.g. Sky TV) across the nine screens, either as nine individual images or one large one. This also offers the facility to run text ticker-tape messages and to drop bespoke video media and/or images in to the screens as required.
