Hurrairah bin Sohail speaks with Dino Tech about a unique and forward thinking technology deployment for a retail experience that focuses on the visitor’s journey.
The Airside Show Suite is the sales facility for Nan Fung Group’s mixed-use development project at Kai Tak in Hong Kong. The project was the culmination of the work of multiple parties. Squint-Opera from UK was appointed as the show director and was responsible for producing all the media content for the project.
GroundWork Architect was the interior designer and managed the project from construction to design, through tendering, to final build. Dino Tech designed the AV media show control system to run the pre-programmed experience for Airside Show Suite. China-Tech Engineering served as the integrator.
Amornthep Tantikovit from Dino Tech details: “We have experience designing experiential retail spaces. Most of the times the initiation point is a real estate developer that requires technology for a sales facility, after which the conversation starts to involve architects and interior designers and eventually show directors and then AV professionals. The Airside Show Suite project was really driven by the media and the content and the main aim was to use the media to tell a story and that was the starting point for our work.”
The journey
Tantikovit’s statement that content drove the entire experience bears out in how technology is deployed. From the time a visitor enters their journey is mapped and directed to help the operators, the leasing team, create an impact and convey the driving principles of the development.
In the Kai Tak room, which the visitors encounter first on their journey, six Panasonic RZ770LB with DLE060 lenses, hidden above the false ceiling, are employed to deliver an edge-blended floor projection image. They project interactive animated media which provides data and information on demographic, transportation network, and new mixed-use developments. Two units of Panasonic RZ770LB with DLE020 lens, installed under the ceiling, are used to paint images on a curved perforated screen.
The Kai Tak room’s sound system comprises a wall and ceiling mounted surround speaker system. The front three channels are behind the curved screen, the other four channels are hidden behind two layers of decorative fabrics. The ceiling units are distributed across the ceiling in a general 7.1 array to serve voice soundtrack and sound effects. QSC AD-C6T-LP low profile units installed in wall and on ceiling form two of the 7.x channels, and ceiling-mounted EV 10.1 support the low end spectrum of audio.
The Kai Tak room will also be used for presentation for seated audiences. Sound reinforcement is supported by the ceiling speakers in different EQ and delay settings. Each speaker in the Kai Tak room is driven by its own amplifier channel. At the end of Kai Tak show, the host can press a button on an iPad to start the transition to the Airside room as a curved door swings open.
The Airside show has two parts. The first is a 4:35 Interim Film that leads into two interactive parts. All media in the Airside room is projected on the 260-degrees curved projection screen. In the middle of the acoustically treated circular room is a 55-in touchscreen driven by an Unity interactive program.
The surround sound track comprises seven channels in the wall and five channels on the ceiling. A single subwoofer on the ceiling provides low end support for both surround systems. Four units of ceiling mounted Panasonic RZ770LB projectors with DLE-085 lenses generate the edge-blended projection. Wall and ceiling mounted speakers are Bose DM8S. The subwoofer is Bose MB24.
Following the Airside show, further discussion can take place at the meeting space where a realistic model of the property is on display. A Barco Clickshare connected to a LG 65-in LCD on a swing-arm is used to display content from the leasing team’s notebook or handheld device. At the backend, Watchout on Dell media servers drives content and Medialon is used for show control. HDMI extension via Extron DTP HD2 4K 330 transmitters and receivers is used for video signal transmission. Audio is transmitted over Dante and managed with the help of QSC Core 510i DSP.
Tantikovit says: “Signal transmission for this was simple, the content was being sent to the projector and everything was one-to-one. We didn’t need the network for switching because we didn’t need one output sent to multiple displays. So, using an extender was economical, functional and practical. Selecting the DTP HD2 was primarily due to the fact that we wanted to be able to monitor the signal from the graphics card of the media computers, a feature that it delivered. This way, if there is a problem, we have easy access to perform diagnostics to be able to determine where in the chain the problem lies.”
The decisions
Through the course of the entire project, the technology decisions made were done so in service to the experience and the story that needed to be told. They bear further investigation.
Perhaps the most interesting choice is that of the display solution. Tantikovit details: “We’ve actually worked with Squint-Opera previously on a successful retail project five years ago that is still running so we had an established relationship. The older project actually involved a seamless LCD videowall which was chosen after a demonstration of the technology solutions available at that time. Of course, technology has come a long way since then. Today, fine pixel pitch LEDs are more common because manufacturers have the ability and the willingness to develop fine pitch LED components that can be used to create fine pixel pitch displays.”
He continues: “We had a difficult decision with regards to the display solution. In the end the choice was made based on the fact that we needed a curved display. LEDs are diecast and with a diecast chassis there is no way to build a truly curved screen because the display module will always be flat. With LED or LCD for that matter you will always end up with a segmented curve. And this is why we chose projection, because with edge blending you can create a true curved display.”
Interesting decisions also had to be made with regards to audio. Tantikovit explains: “The audio system in the Airside Show Suite is actually built like a theatre, we needed to have surround sound. But the space has twists and it is not in the shape of a regular theatre, so we had to get creative. The main challenge for us was to position the front channels where the sonic image would be coming from. We needed a sonic image to match precisely the location of visual elements. The space demanded a novel, surround sound experience. It is a tight room, and the screens are very close. There was no way we could achieve surround sound by placing the speaker on the floor or on the ceiling, it had to be behind the screen. So, this again meant that we had to go with projection as with an acoustically transparent screen you can place the speaker behind the screen, and this allowed us to get the sonic characteristics we were looking for.”
To conclude Tantikovit says: “Every project has different challenges. We only had a short period of time to complete our work, just 50 days when normally we would need 90 days or 120 days for a project of this scale. Eventually we were able to get everything done and it turned out well.”