Projects: Toronto’s Mount Sinai Switches On Massive Digital Donor Wall

April 18, 2016 by Dave Haynes

Photo: Sergio Sabag

Donor walls are a big part of many hospitals – used to thank companies and individuals who support the organization’s work and facilities. For years, these walls were plaques or printed graphics, but lately, they’ve gone digital, and this has to be one of the bigger ones out there.

Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital has turned on 50 feet long by 12 feet high, 3 high by 11-wide video donor wall, put together by Toronto-based design firm Envision.

“The (hospital’s) foundation wanted to create something architecturally and technologically outstanding to express their gratitude to their many donors,” says Mark Wilson, executive vice president, Envision. “The wall acts as the central art piece within the revitalization of the whole main floor lobby.  The end result is a combination of artistry and technology on a whole new level.  In our many years of donor recognition work this is the largest and most complex project Envision has ever completed, both in terms of its scale and technical sophistication.”

The press release says:

With more than 10,000 people circulating through the main lobby corridor at Mount Sinai Hospital every day, it was crucial for the final creation to include movement of content that was soft, flowing and conveyed a sense of tranquility within the space.

“We involved many stakeholders in the design process including architect and interior design experts as well as some of Sinai Health Foundation’s top donors to ensure the end result was the best fit for the space,” continued Wilson.  “Our overall goal was to create a relaxing and soothing environment for anyone visiting the hospital.  At the same time, the final piece needed to make a strong modern statement. Our starting point was to establish a philosophical design principal built from a harmonious relationship between components of shape and functionality, producing the desired emotional state we were striving for.” 

“This wall surpasses our expectations and makes such a significant contribution to the hospital’s landscape,” said Tony di Cosmo, vice-president, donor relations, Sinai Health Foundation.  “When we embarked on this project with Envision, our main goal was to recognize the incredible generosity of our donors. It is with the help of these contributors and their ongoing support and effort, that this hospital is where it is today.  What we didn’t expect was the dynamic work of ‘living’ art we would have in the end. 

Photo: Sergio Sabag

The wall uses:

• 33 NEC X series commercial displays, with 65″ 4K screens on each end for messaging and promoting upcoming events;
• The largest single machine installation of Derivative’s Touch Designer software in North America, based on a pixel count level (content is generated in real time at 23,040 x 3,240);
• White corian and glass, together with LED accent lights and stainless steel trims, for the fixture.

The new digital donor recognition wall resides in the main floor lobby of Mount Sinai Hospital from the University Avenue entrance.

Nicely done!