A VISION OF MEDIA ARCHITECTURE In 1906 Ferdinand Salling opened a small haberdashery in the sleepy market town, Aarhus, eventually opening the first department store on the main shopping street in Aarhus. In 1953 his son, Herman Salling took over, and grew Salling into a large retail empire, including two iconic department stores in Aarhus and Aalborg. Both father and son had a vision that the facades of the flagship stores should be able to change colour when the seasons changed and at special occasions. 110 years after opening the first store, Kollision helped realise this vision, creating the first media façades in the city centres of Aarhus and Aalborg.

A VISION OF MEDIA ARCHITECTURE In 1906 Ferdinand Salling opened a small haberdashery in the sleepy market town, Aarhus, eventually opening the first department store on the main shopping street in Aarhus. In 1953 his son, Herman Salling took over, and grew Salling into a large retail empire, including two iconic department stores in Aarhus and Aalborg. Both father and son had a vision that the facades of the flagship stores should be able to change colour when the seasons changed and at special occasions. 110 years after opening the first store, Kollision helped realise this vision, creating the first media façades in the city centres of Aarhus and Aalborg. INTERACTIVE LIGHTING ART The facades are using Kollision’s player software to control a number of lighting designs, ranging from architectural light patterns to Valentine’s Day Hearts. At special occasions the facade is interactive allowing users to paint with light on the large canvas. The facade is not used for commercial messages, but created as a cultural platform communicating activities in the two cities along with subtle brand values in dialogue with the citizens. TECH & ROLE The two facades cover more than 1,300 sqm. Kollision designed the two layouts of the pixline products from Martin Professional, provided the player software with dynamic plugins, interactive lighting, and bespoke lighting designs. Kollision also handled the entire design process together with the two municipalities. Both dialogue and testing together with the city architects as well as meetings with neighbours, resulting in site-specific design manuals for the media facades. The project was realised in close collaboration with Salling and was funded by the Salling Foundation.

https://kollision.dk/en/salling-lights

Details

Building or project owner : Salling Group

Architecture : C.F. Møller

Project artist/ concept/ design/ planning : Kollision Design Office

Light design : Kollision Design Office

Technical layout light : Kollision Design Office

Light hardware (LED hardware) : Martin by HARMAN

Lighting control software : KOLLISION MAP

Project co-ordination : Kollision Design Office

Interaction design/ programming : Kollision Design Office

Project sponsor/ support : Salling Fondene (Salling Foundation)

Descriptions

Facade type and geometry (structure) : Linear, individually controllable LEDs mounted on existing facade.

Kind of light creation : Light emitting diodes

Resolution and transmitting behaviour : Linear LEDs, mounted at varying intervals

Pixel distance : Varying

Urban situation : Both facades are placed at main shopping streets / urban centers i Aarhus and Aalborg.

Description of showreel : Content is dynamic, interchangeable sometimes interactive, controlled by Kollision's MAP software (Media Architecture Platform).

Participatory architecture & urban interaction

Community or communities involved : The project was developed in close collaboration with the Municipality of Aarhus and Aalborg being the first of its kind in both cities. It was realised in close collaboration with the client and based on a participatory design process including citizens.

Host organization : Salling Group

Issues addressed : Retail shopping is moving in a direction towards being more experience oriented to compete with online shopping. The facade reflects the surrounding urban situation, events, weather etc. It is not used for commercial marketing in agreement with the local municipalities. At special events citizens are invited to e.g. draw on the facade, make statements through sms or engaging in simple games.

Impact : The facade provides and enhanced brand ambience for the respective shopping centers, effectively allowing them to communicate with their urban surroundings and promoting local events such as festivals and also make statements in relation to special occasions, e.g. national holidays, sports etc.

Tools used : MAP software (Media Architecture Platform)

Next steps : Continuous development of new content and interactive experiences for special occasions.

Mediacredits

Photo by Kollision Design Office

Photo by Kollision Design Office

Photo by Kollision Design Office

Movie by Kollision Design Office

Movie by Kollision Design Office