Atlanta’s modern Fulton County Central Library is situated in the heart of Atlanta. This contemporary library was designed by internationally renowned architects Marcel Breuer and Hamilton Smith. Breuer was one of the founders of the modern Bauhaus school of design and the Central Library mimics his style used at the famous Whitney Museum in New York. This ten-level library is composed of robust forms and interlocking setbacks that offer a sculptured architectural form. NanoLumens collaborated with Capital Signs on a new four-sided dvLED Media Tower that is located on the north east side of Forsyth Avenue and mimics the interlocking sculptural form of the building. Because of the unique style of the outdoor marquee, NanoLumens had to break the system down into components and build on a bespoke framework to meet the design intent for the media tower. The outcome is a break-through for NanoLumens with a new mold that is used to produce our outdoor tiles and a whole new topology for structure as well as power and data support systems.
CHALLENGES:
Through a referral, NanoLumens took the marquee concept from EYP Architect, Ron White, and worked hand in hand with Capital Signs to execute the integration and structural design on the marquee. “There were a number of challenges on this project. First, was the infrastructure of the sign which goes 30’ feet below ground. The engineers at NanoLumens are the best! Their attention to the details really helped achieve success on this project. That structure coupled with the intricate stone that was imported from Spain, made this an even bigger challenge. Together we were able to enhance the visual impact for Fulton Library,” said Andy Panos, Vice President of Capital Signs, Inc.
SOLUTIONS:
“For NanoLumens this project required a major deviation from our existing outdoor portfolio, and we developed a method to break the system down into components and build on a bespoke framework to meet the design intent. NanoLumens AEC-SPG and R&D team came up with a suitable topology with the capability of doing a sharp corner outdoor display with tight tolerances. It is not unique for Nanolumens, but we were able to rapidly iterate and come up with a suitable topology in a short amount of time for this project. We now have this capability across the board using components from our Performance™ Series of dvLED products, says Dan Rossborough, Director of Strategic Projects for NanoLumens™.
THE RESULTS:
Challenging projects are a great way to test the rapid deployment of new innovations. The Central Library project stretched the capabilities of NanoLumens’ Performance Series dvLED products, and gave way for a new skin-ontopology structure for future outdoor projects. This yielded a whole new way to produce our outdoor tiles and also a whole new topology for structure as well as power and data support systems. Together with our project partner, Capital Signs, we came up with a turnkey approach to the design. From there Capital ran point, contracting with the GC to produce this one-of-a-kind towering media marquee.
THE TECHNOLOGY:
The sculptured media marquee is four-sided and spans 28 feet tall by 6’,9” wide, and is comprised of sub-4mm Performance™ Series dvLED that are a highly adaptable frame and skin topology. Specialized for flat surfaces and optimized for brightness, sharp-cornered Performance Series™ displays integrate seamlessly into existing architecture and are designed to enhance and energize outdoor environments. The Central Library incorporates dvLED and four-sided high-resolution content for a stunning marquee evocative of the architectural styling of the Library.
