Urban Alliance specializes in media objects in which state of the art media techniques are integrated in architecture and design. 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.

via: www.urbanalliance.nl
www.vvkh-architecten.nl

• 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

via: playmegaphone.com

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.

via: daisyworldproject.de

Walking down the Ginza is like strolling through a glossy magazine - and these buildings are the ads. These brand images are largely communicated through the facades, which increasingly resemble screens. The Chanel store uses a facade composed of hundreds of thousands of LEDs - a high-res building-sized video screen. Uniqlo is an exception to the high end brands in Ginza - having built its brand providing basic clothing at reasonable prices. So in contrast to the sleekness of the other facades, our approach at Uniqlo Ginza was to go simple and basic.

If facades are now screens, our Uniqlo facade is a pixilated “electro-retro” version. It is made up of a matrix of one thousand illuminated cells, whose luminosity can be individually controlled to produce chunky Tetris-style patterns on the facade. A mirror-finish stainless steel grid placed over this screen has the effect of breaking up and blurring off its sharp edges. The four-square Uniqlo logo shines through all, lit up with a bright LED array. Luxury, at low-res.

via: City of Sound

The FLARE system

FLARE is a modular system to create a dynamic hull for facades or any building or wall surface. Acting like a living skin, it allows a building to express, communicate and interact with its environment. FLARE turns the building facade into a penetrable kinetic membrane, breaking with all conventions of the building surface as a static skin.

FLARE units

The FLARE system consists of a number of tiltable metal flake bodies supplemented by individually controllable 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.

The visual effect

Each stainless steel 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.

via: flare-facade.com

MIKONTALOLIGHTS seems to be inspired by the good old blinkenlight project, both in respect to aesthetics and enthusiasm. Here’s what their website says:

“Over the years TOAS Mikontalo has been residence for thousands of students from all over the world. ‘Mikkis’ is one of the best known (both liked and disliked) dormitories in Finland. With the currently ongoing renovation, Mikontalo will be reborn. However, before this, one thing had to be done… MIKONTALOLIGHTS.

The object of MIKONTALOLIGHTS was to create the world’s physically largest colored graphics platform by using the windows of Mikontalo’s D-staircase as light pixels. The platform was used to play Tetris and other games and present demos created by the students of Tampere University of Technology. The project climax was on December the 4th when the new lights of Mikontalo were lit. The goal was to gain global visibility for Tampere University of Technology and the rich student culture of the Uni.

The public event of MIKONTALOLIGHTS was a tremendous success. There were more than 2000 spectators at once and total count of interested spectators was close to 4000.”

Thanks to Damien Mair (Fusion) for sending me the link.

At a time when artists misuse image, Pixy came out of the need to overcome already existing video displays. Pixy is an artistic process that allows materialising the image within a number of independent physical pixels. Pixy displays a low resolution image one can manipulate and physically distort; each pixel of the image is an autonomous physical element made out of electroluminescent paper, it can be moved. The Pixy’s structure is not limited to 2 dimensions, it can be placed on a volume and become an object with an interactive potential. The matrix keeping the same resolution can change its physical form.

Pixy is a production of the French Canadian collective Experientiae Electricae. It is a co-production between Videographe (Montreal) and ARCADI (France) and parter Nanolight. Banff new Media is also going to be participant next spring.

Pixy is a low resolution display. It transforms the pixel in a physical object to the service of a modular space. The chosen format accentuates the aesthetic of the sole movement within the image spatially valorized.
Pixy can be placed on any kind of support and take a form adapted to it’s content. Pixy being a volume lets us manipulate space to the benefit of images, physical space disappearing to be replaced by chosen videos. Placed at a wall and floor angle, it hides the room behind a moving image creating an open hole within the fixed wall of the architectural space, this gap is filled by images of life. In the middle of urban space there would be a breach towards an outer world full of life, is it an intrusion an invasion…

via: pixy.ca

Flexipix media architecture: coloured light, video screen and façade all in one!

FLEXIPIX developed out of an art project by the BBM group they constructed the world’s first mobile, five-sided pixelroom and exhibited it in public spaces in Germany. On 400sqm screens on all the walls and the ceiling visitors can watch videos that deal with the future of public spaces and the freedom of the citizen in europe. The room was developed in collaboration with BBO, betreiber blinkender objekte (operators of flashing objects).

The company FLEXIPIX, which merges the two media - light and plastic, is obliged to the utopias of the aforementioned giants of future architecture. Their collaboration with BBM on the FLEXIPIX project stands for technically innovative and socially responsible thinking. High quality, environmentally meaningful and socially desirable buildings are possible with our technology.Through our contribution public spaces will be revitalised and again become places for the population to meet and debate

via.: urbanscreens.org

The spanish company Edigma is producing interactive glass called displax . It’s not rocket science: Its a rear projection with finger tracking.

LEDs integrated in a Steel Mesh. This technology has been tried out at Expomedia Light Cube.  More about the Mediamesh.