Urban Alliance´s mission is to integrate modern communication technologies in the built environment in order to create interactive public spaces and objects. Urban Alliance combines expertise in design, content production, engineering and construction. This way UA is a one-stop-shop for tun-key mediatecture solutions. Urban Alliance works for developers, governments, advisers and architects on projects indoors and outdoors for purposes as city marketing, social safety and arts.
Situated in a breathtaking 7-story high glass atrium, The Comcast Experience is a joint gift to the citizens of Philadelphia from Comcast Corporation and Liberty Property Trust; one that combines sculpture, architecture and technology into an inviting and unique public environment. By transforming a public transportation hub into an artistic focal point for the city, The Comcast Experience encompasses a number of important “firsts.” From a technology standpoint, the world’s largest four millimeter LED wall is 83.3’ wide by 25.4’ high (25.38m x 7.74m), and is comprised of 6,771 Barco NX-4 LED modules. With 10 million pixels mounted in a seamless flat array, the wall provides an extremely high degree of photo-realism — five times the resolution of high-definition television.
Â
Â
“There’s never been a screen not only of this resolution, but also of this realism,” said Steve Scorse, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Barco’s Media & Entertainment division, North America. “Not only does the screen integrate seamlessly into the Comcast Center as a forum for content, but at times, the content mimics the atrium’s natural wood paneling and virtually disappears,” said Scorse. “The resolution, contrast and seamlessness are such that you can do things with this screen that cannot be done with any other technology.”
MegaPhone is Phonecall-Controlled, Real-Time, Multi-Player Collaborative Gaming Platform for Big Screens in Public Spaces, but we already said that. What we mean is, it’s a game you control with a phone call.
MegaPhone is NOT a downloadable application that runs on your phone, and it’s NOT a wireless network, like Wifi or Bluetooth.
There are two ways to send input to the display: keypad and voice. The keypad can be used much like a video game controller, and the volume and pitch of the phone’s microphone can also become input in the game.
MegaPhone updates the game state on a shared screen, and can send custom audio and text messages back to each user. MegaPhone uses this mobile channel back to the caller to close the loop on out of home media advertising.
1) A viewer sees the phone number on screen
2) They call the number with any phone, and interact using their microphone and keypad
3) Their mobile carrier forwards us the call
4) The MegaPhone server answers the call and processes the voice and keypress data
5) The MegaPhone server sends the data over the internet
6) The MegaPhone Flash game displays the updated state on the screen
7) The MegaP
hone mobile content server can send the caller SMS, MMS, or digital files
This project has been shown at the Media Facades Exhbition Berlin 2008 and was published in the Exhibition Companion
(download the Catalogue Pdf – 7 Mb).
This interview was given to Scott Johnson and Ashlen Williams, graduate students from the University of Kansas currently developing a research project on “Communicative Architecture: An Analysis of How Digital Infrastructure Shapes Human Interaction in the Built Environment.”
1. How does the interactive, animated nature of the newest forms of
media facades redefine public space?
Well, I think we all must admit that we simply don’t know. Always when a new technology emerges there are some prophets that predict salvation and the dawn of a new era of communication and there are others that warn against negative effects like light pollution or excessive advertising. In a sense both sides are true but one has to develop more differentiated points of view. In other words: an emotional but also rational discourse is needed in order to tame the chances and risks of this new field. The discussion has to be as public as possible and is to involve different stakeholders. – That’s a main reason for organising the Media Facades Festival in Berlin (http://www.mediaarchitecture.org/mediafacades2008/)
The winning competition entry for the “Espacio de CreaciĂłn ArtĂstica Contemporánea” by Nieto Sobejano architects from Spain proposed the integration of a light- and media façade on the building surface facing the RĂoGuadalquivir. realities:united was commissioned to develop the conception and the design for this media skin. The façade made from pre cast fiber concrete panels (GRC) has been transformed 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 grayscale system based on fluorescent light will allow the display of moving images at a rate of 20 frames per second.
This project has been shown at the Media Facades Exhbition Berlin 2008 and was published in the Exhibition Companion
(download the Catalogue Pdf – 7 Mb).
Filed under: Projects
Posted: June 10, 2008 at 4:05 pm by Wolfgang Leeb
DAISY.WORLD by Thomas Nicolai is the simulation of an artificial self-monitoring ecosystem placed on an urban structure. Comparable to the rules in nature the computer simulation calculates the dynamic growth behavior of two artificial flower populations. Both species and the outer conditions are interlinked in feedback loops to a complex network of interaction – a permanent DRIFT, a spreading and retreat, an incessant self-balancing to adapt to every outer change – finally the idea of assertiveness and will power without supreme intervention. LIFE.
DAISY.WORLD will be a colorful performance, a fancy dynamic movement of large flower landscapes growing over the surface of a city building.In symbolic way nature conquers the habitat of men, and man becomes again a part of it. DAISY.WORLD evokes a sensibility for the fragile balance and the coherence of all aspects of our living world. The concept is related to a classic scientific experiment, a computer simulation by James Lovelock the father of the GAIA-theory.
We proudly announce that a prototype of Daisyworld will be shown in October at our Media Facades Exhibition in Berlin.
This project has been shown at the Media Facades Exhbition Berlin 2008 and was published in the Exhibition Companion
(download the Catalogue Pdf – 7 Mb).
Filed under: Products
Posted: June 6, 2008 at 8:49 am by Wolfgang Leeb
The Grand Lisboa is one of Macau’s tallest buildings with 52 storeys. In phase two, it will open a 430 room hotel.
Grand Lisboa will offer our guests a truly memorable and unique experience. Stylistically, a daring and contemporary entertainment attraction, it remains true to our history and heritage within the Macau market, while reflecting the progressive direction of the organisation,” explained Dr Stanley Ho.
The owner, Dr. Ho, was advised by a fengshui expert that the location and architectural design would loose money, unless he made revisions to change the fengshui energy. So Dr. Ho made the necessary changes, and had the top of the building designed to be like a bottle neck, so money comes in, but cannot come out easily. It was supposed to look like feather plumes”
Grand Lisboa media facade was conceived by Magic Monkey
This project has been shown at the Media Facades Exhbition Berlin 2008 and was published in the Exhibition Companion
(download the Catalogue Pdf – 7 Mb).
Filed under: Projects
Posted: June 4, 2008 at 2:36 pm by Gernot Tscherteu
