Displays made by Atlanta-based NanoLumens, makers of custom-built indoor and outdoor LED displays for a variety of markets, were chosen by Indiana University to highlight the design of a new campus building and the upgrade of another.
The university commissioned the installation of a 24' wide x 12' high NanoLumens display suspended from the ceiling in Franklin Hall, home to IU's new Media School, and it installed seven 9” wide x 24' high NanoLumens display ‘blades’ into the brand new Global and International Studies Building.
According to the company, the design team responsible for the projects wanted to ensure that each school's building captured the attention and enthusiasm of students, faculty and visitors — all of whom are closely connected to their technology. The NanoLumens displays, the university says, deliver the ‘WOW’ factor that designers were looking for.
“The display is the first thing you see when you walk into our building, and it's pretty amazing,” says Jay Kincaid, director of facilities and technology at the Indiana University Media School. “There isn't a single person who comes into the building that doesn't say ‘wow!’ People are awestruck by the display hanging in our commons. It’s amazing. They are slack-jawed.”
The “blades” run parallel and are used to deliver text. Meanwhile, the Media School display can be used for presentations, television broadcasts, and even be divided into as many as six distinct screens through a split-screen interface. The design features a 2.5mm pixel pitch, meaning the 4.4 million pixels provide a resolution of 2880 x 1536, more than twice the pixel count of a 1080p display. It refreshes its more than 13 million diodes (three per pixel) at 960 frames per second and is reliant on 240 circuit boards and 1,440 magnets. To get an idea of the build quality, the company says there are nearly 40 million solder joints in the 297-square-foot display.
According to Sarah Schuler, president and principal architect at VPS Architecture, the design team, “The new Media School is housed in one of the most beautiful collegiate gothic buildings on Indiana University's campus. Originally, it was built in 1907 as the university's library. The transformation into a modern, technology-rich learning environment meant a complete renovation and reorganization of spaces. The Commons is at the heart of the design, located in the middle of the building and all other spaces are organized around it. This space was designed to showcase what the Media School offers while allowing students, faculty and visitors a place to converge and engage. The media wall by NanoLumens energizes the spaces: it is the focal point of the Commons. Since the opening of the Media School, this space is always filled and very lively.”
