50-Foot Fine-Pitch LED Strip Added To Downtown Calgary’s Pedway System

January 22, 2019 by Dave Haynes

Calgary, Alberta’s forest of energy sector-centric office towers is interconnected above the streets by a series of enclosed and climate-controlled (usually) pedway bridges, with the mezzanine levels of many of the buildings filled with retail and services.

It’s an environment that teems with business professionals – geologists, engineers and lawyers – so it is an attractive media opportunity for companies like PATTISON Outdoor Advertising, which has just installed and lit up an ambitious and no doubt expensive 50-foot wide 1.5mm LED board on a main section.

The display is at Bow Valley Square, on what is locally known as the Plus 15 system (named because the bridge system is loosely 15 feet up from street level).

Says a press release:

PATTISON’s Digital Innovation Team, Onestop, engineered custom content for this one-of-a-kind digital display. Designed to emulate the long and expansive appearance of a prairie terrain, this video wall includes a slate of cutting-edge features. The 50-foot, 1.5mm pitch LED display delivers an unrivaled visual experience to commuters in Calgary’s covered path network, establishing a new industry standard for Digital Out-Of-Home and Place Based Media. Advertisers have the ability to display in standard 16:9 format on the primary screen, with adjacent panels serving as a complimentary visual, or integrate the entire digital canvas to create truly unique and engaging experiences.

“This is a product developed from a strong and innovative partnership with Oxford Properties Group. Designed to be an artistic installation as well as a revenue item, we look forward to experimenting with this new Digital Canvas for years to come. The plan is to see content evolve season to season and year after year, to truly make this a living, breathing part of Oxford’s first-class property; and Calgary’s downtown,” says Ian Gadsby, Vice President of Digital technology at PATTISON Outdoor.

The partnership would mean Pattison has the media concession for that space, and Oxford would get a revenue share of sold media, or possibly a guarantee over a set term. There are many different property companies owning Calgary skyscrapers, so stitching together a bunch of these would take some work. Bow Valley’s three building complex is the largest in Oxford’s Calgary portfolio.

PATTISON and Oxford Properties Group are proud to announce this digital product will also act as a creative canvas for the students of Alberta’s College of Art and Design (ACAD). This exciting collaboration will highlight the dynamic features of the digital canvas by delivering both relevant commuter information from Onestop’s Digital Office Network as well as innovative projects submitted by the students of ACAD.

Looks great. Can’t help but worry about protecting the 1.5mm LED chips, as I doubt this wall is done with the newest LED technology, which applies a hardened coating to otherwise brittle, fragile LED modules. Conventional LED modules are somewhat at the mercy of the general public to not bump or (worse) scratch/scrape the modules, which will tear off the little lights.

 

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