Fix8Group elev8 creates immersive AV experiences inside elevators

The audiovisual display solution Fix8Group elev8 has already been installed in the elevators of the shopping center of St James's in Edinburgh. It gives customers an immersive, sensory experience as they move between floors.

FIX8Group has developed elev8, an audiovisual display solution, integrated inside an elevator, offering a fully immersive experience. Provides a wide range of content, including 3D worlds, 2D animation, Landscapes, audio and video experiences or still images.

This solution has already been installed in St James Quarter, a new retail-led district that is integrated into Edinburgh's city centre, providing a destination for locals and visitors to live in, Buy, Eat, sleep and play.

FIX8Group collaborated with Nuveen, project investors, and Gardiner Theobald LLP, which were designated as a real estate and construction consultancy for the St James shopping centre. In this way, the decision was made to equip a series of elevators within the center to provide customers with a unique experience while traveling between floors.

"At the beginning of this initiative, we had nothing clear about what we wanted or what could be achieved. FIX8 managed the project from initial concepts to launch, from helping to define the specification, to provide the content and sound", Explains Antony Ranger, Nuveen CoO at St James Quarter.

He was in charge of the production of engineering drawings, to design automated control systems, physically install technology and create spectacular content.

The FIX8Group team needed to design and deliver a solution that met the high standard of a contemporary, high-end shopping destination within the parameters and regulations of a new building.. Added to this was the requirement to create an experience that could run automatically and continuously in a public space without any input from the team.. Being unsupervised in a public place, the facility had to be robust enough to handle a high-traffic area but a safe environment for any imaginable elevator user

The solution for St James Quarter has been designed with total flexibility, so experiences can be customized to suit the customer's communication needs and content can be changed, update or maintain centrally as often as needed.

"We found that customers were looking for new ways to create impactful experiences for their audiences.. Elev8 offers the opportunity to create a 'surprise moment'’ verdaderamente memorable ya sea que se use para una primera impresión, share a message, set a mood or inspire action", Clarifies Mark Porter, CEO of FIX8Group.

A challenging project

This was a project that had no margin for error. The team made a full-scale replica of the elevator cabin at their facility in Manchester.. The solution developed included five screens installed around the walls of the elevator, creating a visual canvas of 11.000 wide pixels that would host the content designed by FIX8Group's in-house studio team.

To create the immersive environment that could really stimulate the passenger, a solution based on Led modules was not enough, as the desired pixel density was not achieved. The option was to use UHD screens of 98 Inch, an ideal format that fit the interior of the elevator cabin.

For the control process, FIX8Group created its own logical processing unit, custom developed. These units are located at the top of each elevator shaft, allowing messages from the elevators' internal control system to be recorded and translated into data, that can be used for audio and video playback systems.

From the open doors to the direction of travel and even the speed of each elevator cabin can be used as automation data for the wide range of contents.

Physical installation was another obstacle to overcome. Time was spent creating custom plates of 98 wall-mounted inches, that were laser cut for accuracy. This made it possible to hold the screens and help pass the "drop test" required by building standards., for final approval of the elevator installation.

To insert the screens into the elevator cabin, pass the doors, in the right orientation with only 10 mm to spare, it was necessary to manufacture a custom-made rolling platform, that will support the weight of the screens and provide the maneuverability necessary to install the screens in tight spaces.

An eclectic mix of visual experiences was created for this project., from virtual time travel and spacewalks to tranquil, lively landscapes and abstract pieces.

 

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