It was much of the same for the soffit lighting system , which is basically a media façade that hangs over the street like a canopy and displays content facing downward . And then , of course , was the question of how to best tie the two together for a complementary overall aesthetic .
“ We could have put full Blu-ray resolution [ on the soffit ], but would that have been the best solution for the building ?” Bedard asks rhetorically , delving further into his design process . “ That ’ s where we brought the architect in , sharing some options knowing the owner has to pay for this solution somewhere down the line .”
In the end , the upper-level Urban Theatre employs a relatively straightforward rear projection system capable of relaying HD video and glare-free static images . Its visibility is intentionally limited to Georgia and Seymour streets below in the Central Business District , minimizing its impact on nearby residences and hotels . At dusk , the retractable screen descends and the façade comes alive , running consistently until 11 p . m . sharp , at which point the screen retracts .
Supporting the Urban Theatre presentations is the photovoltaic array on the roof , as each solar panel is loaded with a 1-ft . section of Lumenpulse ’ s Lumenfacade linear LED luminaires .
Whereas the Urban Theatre was designed to handle detailed , high-res content , Bedard opted for 11,000 pixels of Color Kinetics ’ iColor Flex LMX for a complementary medium-resolution surface on the soffit that caters to abstract content .
The 25 lit pavilion ribs that extend from the outer face of the building and reach the nearby sidewalk are loaded with two sections of linear IP-rated LED strips and support the looped content on the soffit .
That content often draws on nature – cloud , water , or sunshine themes that suit the specific season but are abstracted through the manipulation of scale and pacing for a more atmospheric and intriguing result .
“ I knew in the back of my mind that , from the beginning , the CK strands would be the best solution for the soffit ,” Bedard admits , “ so once we had the basic solutions and specific products figured out , we had to figure out how to feasibly incorporate them into the structural design .”
That was a concern with all of the features , though especially so for the soffit . “ One of the big things was we settled on a 6-in . pixel pitch after considering the ramifications of a 4-in . pitch , which would have required a change to the structural engineering of the building , because we would have had to poke giant holes through some of the beams just to route cables ,” Bedard shares .
Elaborating , he says that , at this point in Eos Lightmedia ’ s history , the majority of his and his colleagues ’ design work has more to do with the integration of the chosen technologies than the selection of those technologies .
“ We have a good handle on the current tech and what we can do with it , but we ’ re always trying to think of creative solutions to get these things installed and have them work properly and together throughout the building . That ’ s the bigger
28 • PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING & PRODUCTION