It was commissioned by property developer LMS, operator of the Rotunda, for use as an advertising space for the facilities and businesses operating within the venue - including restaurants, cinema, health and sports clubs - and a message board highlighting promotions and special offers. Metropolis's product manager was Nick Ford who oversaw the entire operation.
The screen is mounted 3.5m above ground on stainless steel cabinets, offering full weatherproofing and robust build quality. The screen is in action from early morning till last thing at night, when the Rotunda closes, showing a highly visible series of advertisements and messages.
The primary technical design challenge was in creating the cabinets that would run around the radius. The screen itself is composed from 200mm flat circuit boards, manufactured for Metropolis by Met 3, Metropolis's new speciality LED screen and lighting company. Each column of circuit board creates a facet of the curve, resulting in a very fluid looking curved shape. As well as the 6500 NIT intensity, Metropolis has designed several other neat features into the screen, including an automatic brightness control which allows it to adjust to the natural lighting conditions.
Metropolis developed their own PC-based control system, which can be accessed remotely by broadband link - another innovation in the world of installed LED screens. The enables new files and large images to be uploaded quickly and changed easily. Each supporting cabinet is designed to be a practical two-person lift. The installation had to be carried out from the front of the building, with both front and rear access extremely limited. It also had to take place while the building was in full operational swing, but the screen design made this possible with only a three-person crew.
Metropolis's MD Simon Harris comments: "This is the sort of project we really excel at - producing a unique and completely one off solution that fits the client's demanding brief. It's also been a great challenge for our newly formed division Met 3, playing a role in pioneering curved LED screen technology. Met 3 will now be producing al LED screen and lighting requirements for Metropolis AV & FX."
(Lee Baldock)
