The EcoDot Led screen turns the Gold House facade into a large digital art canvas

Wrapping around the northeast corner of the building, This 44-inch Planar solution has been installed×10 metros, which has been described as the largest non-commercial urban art Led screen in North America.

When Rize Alliance Properties built its new mixed-use development Gold House, in the Metrotown community of the City of Burnaby (British Columbia), the developer had to contribute to the Beresford Art Walk program (Beresford Art Walk) of the municipal government with a budget of one million dollars. This initiative was created to enhance the rapidly growing Metrotown area by integrating art-centered streetscapes to promote pedestrian and transit spaces.

Rize hired public art consultant Jan Ballard of Ballard Fine Art and the designer of Gold House, Chris Dikeakos Architects to advise on the public art project. Together, consultants worked to create an innovative LED canvas on the exterior of the building that could be used to present artwork by local artists.

Ballard Fine Art contributed careful research, a community engagement strategy, the selection of artists, the link between artists and the city, as well as public relations. With careful attention to details, facilitated initial artist selection and commissioning of artwork concept through fabrication and installation with audio specialists, video, lighting and rigging ShowTech AVL, that helped in the design and management of technological challenges.

“With the Rize Gold House public art project we collaborated with artist Marian Penner Bancroft to provide an original inaugural artwork, creative and high quality that supports the project vision, fosters social connection and makes a meaningful contribution to the community's cultural landscape in a lasting way”, Ballard comments..

The Gold House development includes two towers – the north 41 floors and the south of 26 – that house 490 residential units, as well as more than 5.791 square meters of commercial and office space between the ground and the fourth level. The project team determined that the most optimal location for an LED installation would span the second, third and fourth floor of the north tower building, facing both north and east.

Led facades at this scale can be built using higher pitch LED meshes, that can be mounted on the exterior surface of a building (or other structures) and designed to create digital images that integrate into the architecture.

Since a 'wrap' (wrap) Led would cover several windows of a commercial space, one of the most important elements was the degree of transparency, according to Christopher Moreno, ShowTech AVL system architect and project manager. “We knew that people were going to work on those floors and that they would have incredible views of the mountains from their windows looking north.. Therefore, It was important to maintain those views as much as possible, that became the driving force behind the search for a Led product”.

Moreno looked for something that met these requirements before discovering the EcoDot Outdoor Led Mesh from Planar, a highly transparent mesh designed for large surfaces on building exteriors.

“We were convinced that the product would not only meet the transparency requirements, but it would be bright enough to be visible during the day and would last for the future”, Moreno said..

To determine the most optimal resolution, ShowTech organized a demonstration at the Rize Gold House showroom. Using a product sample sent by Planar, Moreno created a prototype of an LED mesh suspended on a stainless steel cable in a frame, that was hung in a glass window.

“We show you what an installation of 35, 45, 55, 75 y 100 mm pixel pitch”, Moreno said.. “In the end, we decided that 55 mm offered the best balance between screen clarity and the amount of transparency from inside the building looking out.”.

Installation began once the building's concrete structure and steel beams were completed and was carried out in tandem with the project's exterior finishing work.. ShowTech worked with the building's structural engineers to fix 400 Stainless steel tension devices to ensure the Led mesh was tensioned enough.

Awesome platform for digital artists

The Gold House Led screen, made with EcoDot, incorporates 792 chains with 181 nodes per chain for a total of 143.352 nodes. EcoDot family of products includes Eco-1, Eco-2 and Eco-4 (in correlation with the number of Leds in each node). The more LEDs per node, the brighter it is. The Gold House installation incorporates four per node (so the product is called Eco-4 P55), creating a massive display of 573.408 pixels.

“The screen has the potential to reach thousands of locations, incorporating contemporary art into your daily routines”, explains Julia Schenck, Director of Design and Communications of Rize Alliance Properties of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies.

Wrapping around the northeast corner of the building, the installation of almost 44 meters long and 10 tall, it is the largest non-commercial urban art Led screen in North America, according to Brian Konechny, president of ShowTech AVL. “The project demonstrates how LED technology can be deployed to create value for the community. No one wants their community to be overwhelmed with digital ads for smartphone plans or car insurance.. Instead, sentiment is changing towards the use of LED technology for more artistic purposes”.

The Burnaby Art Gallery (Burnaby Art Gallery) is responsible for curating digital art to be displayed on the Gold House canvas. “Once or twice a year, the gallery will manage an adjudication process to select a new piece of digital art. That artist will then update their piece to fit the exhibition”, Moreno clarifies

According to Julia Schenck, director of design and communications at Rize, Gold House art show gives artists chance to expand their work. “The exhibition has the potential to reach thousands of locals, incorporating contemporary art into your daily routines. Art and culture play a significant role in building communities and we hope that building a public art display will inspire those who connect with it”.

Besides, Works by Burnaby School District students will also be displayed on this screen, giving young budding artists an exposure and platform for their work. “We see the potential of activated public spaces and how they become a center of community interaction. “Our investment in meaningful public art installations is one of the ways we can elevate everyday life within our developments.”, explains Schenck.

EcoDot Outdoor Led Mesh

The EcoDot Outdoor Led Mesh Series allows for large-scale artistic and creative installations that can be designed in a variety of shapes and patterns.. With a high degree of transparency, It is very suitable for building cladding with LEDs that cover windows., since the amount of natural light that enters the building and the views from the interior that look outside are preserved (the pixel pitch of 55 mm is the most popular for LED building cladding).

Flexible and light, The EcoDot outdoor Led mesh model features a magnetic closure design for faster installations. Y, with proper mounting hardware, can withstand hurricane force winds. The product is waterproof, dustproof and incorporates a high IP rating, suitable for permanent outdoor use. Available in any custom color, blends in with buildings and other structures.