Fix8Group elev8 creates immersive AV experiences inside elevators

The audiovisual display solution Fix8Group elev8 has already been installed in the elevators of the shopping center in St James in Edinburgh. This provides customers with an immersive and sensory experience as they move between floors..

FIX8Group has developed elev8, an audiovisual display solution, integrated into an elevator, offering a completely immersive experience. Provides a wide range of content, including 3D worlds, 2D animation, landscapes, audio and video experiences or still images.

This solution has already been installed in St James Quarter, a new retail-led district integrating into Edinburgh city center, providing a destination for locals and visitors to live, buy, coman, sleep and play.

FIX8Group collaborated with Nuveen, project investors, y Gardiner Theobald LLP, who were appointed as a property and construction consultancy for the St James shopping center. In this way, The decision was made to equip a series of elevators within the center to give customers a unique experience while traveling between floors.

“At the beginning of this initiative, We were not at all clear about what we wanted or what could be achieved. FIX8 managed the project from initial concepts to launch, from helping define the specification, until providing the content and sound”, explains Antony Ranger, Nuveen COO in St James Quarter.

Responsible for the production of engineering drawings, of designing automated control systems, physically install the technology and create spectacular content.

The FIX8Group team needed to design and deliver a solution that met the high standard of a contemporary, high-end shopping destination within the parameters and regulations of a new building.. Added to this was the requirement to create an experience that could run automatically and continuously in a public space without any input from the team.. Being unsupervised in a public place, The facility had to be robust enough to handle a high traffic area but a safe environment for any conceivable elevator user.

The solution for St James Quarter has been designed with complete flexibility, so experiences can be customized to fit the customer's communication needs and content can be changed, update or maintain centrally as frequently as required.

“We found that clients were looking for new ways to create impactful experiences for their audiences.. Elev8 offers the opportunity to create a 'wow moment'’ verdaderamente memorable ya sea que se use para una primera impresión, share a message, set a mood or inspire action”, clarify Mark Porter, director general de FIX8Group.

A challenging project

This was a project that had no margin for error.. The team made a full-scale replica of the elevator car at their facilities in Manchester. The solution developed included five screens installed around the elevator walls, creating a visual canvas of 11.000 pixels wide that would house content designed by FIX8Group's internal studio team.

To create the immersive environment that could really stimulate the passenger, A solution based on LED modules was not enough, since the desired pixel density was not achieved. The option was to use UHD screens of 98 inches, an ideal format that fit the interior of the elevator cabin.

For the control process, FIX8Group created its own logical processing unit, custom developed. These units are located at the top of each elevator shaft., which allows messages from the internal control system of the elevators to be recorded and translated and converted into data, which can be used for audio and video playback systems.

From doors open to direction of travel and even the speed of each elevator car can be used as automation data for the wide range of content.

The physical installation was another obstacle to overcome. Time was spent creating custom license plates. 98 inch wall mounted, which were laser cut for precision. This allowed the screens to be held up and helped pass the “drop test” required by building regulations., for final approval of elevator installation.

To introduce the screens into the elevator car, pass the doors, in the correct orientation with just 10 mm to spare, It was necessary to manufacture a custom dolly, that would support the weight of the screens and provide the maneuverability necessary to install the screens in small spaces.

An eclectic mix of visual experiences was created for this project, from virtual time travel and spacewalks to calm, animated landscapes and abstract pieces.