Media Architecture Institute

If you’ve ever seen the Casino Lugano by day, you wouldn’t recognize it at night. When sun goes down the large grey block of marble is turned into a colorful eye-catcher attracting passers-by by its color changes and light effects. More than 45.000 red, green and blue Power TOPLEDs from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors bathe the east façade in light and color. In combination with the more than 1.000 swiveling marble panels of the façade fascinating light effects can be produced. Besides the illumination in one single color is also possible. There are no limits for the creation of light effects.

For the ILUMA building in Singapore Realities United created a light and media facade, which had to be effective both during day and night. The project is part of a new development (Urban Entertainment Center) designed by WOHA architects.

In various ways this concept blurs boundaries as it actively merges the concept of a media screen with an ornamental architectural screen filtering air and light and as it blends abstract futuristic shapes with a 1970’s Vegas style.

via: e-architect.co.uk, giselbrecht.at

The Grand Casino in Basle, Switzerland, looks like a glowing red cube after the sun has gone down and welcomes the nocturnal visitors. Its flaming red façade shines from far as a highlight in the otherwise deserted industrial zone. During nighttimes flames seem to be dancing over the glass façade of the Airport Casino. This effect is reinforced by the illumination of the façade from roof and floor level and the rough surface of the isolation. But suddenly the façade bursts into life. Waves of red light are chasing over the surface and signal that the jackpot has been hit. The digital control of the single LEDs allows displaying various light effects at special occasions.

AAamp (architectural advertising amplifier) artistic low resolution media facade installation augmenting a commercial LED billboard. In close cooperation with WOHA architects for the A.AMP project a façade design was developed, which combines the conventional functionality of an office glass façade (and a decent daytime appearance) with a spectacular dynamic communication format at nighttime.

Das Buch führt in die Terminologie der Medienarchitektur ein und erläutert im ersten Teil die Geschichte der Medienfassaden anhand weltberühmter Beispiele wie Times Square, New York, oder Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Im Hauptteil werden über 30 internationale und zeitgenössische Medienfassaden präsentiert, klassifiziert in sieben verschiedene technische Kategorien: Projektions- und, Rückprojektionsfassaden, Window Raster Animation, Displayfassaden, Leuchtmittelfassaden, mechanische sowie Voxelfassaden. Jede dieser Kategorien wird ausführlich erläutert und anhand von Fotos und Plänen veranschaulicht. Die Projektbeispiele liefern außerdem wichtige technische Daten und Details.

Eine Charakterisierung der Medienfassaden sowie eine Darstellung, mit welchen Inhalten sie bespielt werden können, schließen das Buch ab.

M. Hank Häusler, Dr.Ing., studierte Architektur in Japan, den Niederlanden und Deutschland, und promovierte 2007 an der RMIT School of Architecture in Melbourne, Australien. Sein Beratungsbüro City Lights Architecture Store/CLA-Store widmet sich Forschungsprojekten ebenso wie berufspraktischen Fragen.

Media Facades: History, Technology, Content

Located just to the north of Oxford Street and adjacent to Selfridges, Como is delivering the striking new headquarters for clothing retailer Reiss. The building has been constructed with a concrete frame on a new basement and has a retained brickwork façade on one elevation. Reiss’ flagship store takes two floors of high quality retail space while head office is located in the three upper floors.