LA's Concerto Tower Under Construction (photo: Eric Richardson via Flickr)
LED technology for large-scale displays has advanced so far that its use may no longer be limited by what displays can physically be built (see the Podium Tower in Dubai), but instead by the tastes of the communities where displays are located. The Concerto Tower, a construction project currently underway in Los Angeles with a massive LED display component, has been the center of aesthetic debate and legal wrangling.
The Concerto Tower is 33-story condominium complex being built on Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles. Original plans had proposed a 14-story animated LED display mounted high up on the structure, which could be used to display advertising, artwork, or other imagery. “Integral electronic displays” would consist of one-inch LED strips in an evenly spaced array as opposed to solid display screens, to allow unobstructed views for building residents inside.
Opponents of the plan pointed to the bright light levels that would illuminate the surrounding area and possibly distract passing drivers, as well as architectural concerns about the appearance of the structure. Interestingly, the futuristic aesthetic of the Concerto project is not lost on its developer, Sonny Astani; in fact, he points to the film “Blade Runner” as a partial inspiration for the project.
For now, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission has outlined a compromise. Their recently passed ordinance calls for the Concerto Tower’s animated displays to be kept under 150 feet in height. Bright displays would be turned off late at night, and animation would be limited to smooth, slow-moving types of visual effects. But as the technical capabilities of LED displays increase, so will debates about their use.
(via Eric Richardson at BlogDowntown.com)
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