Lobby Inspiration: 11th & Idaho’s Video Wall
11th & Idaho
Downtown Boise, Idaho
This is a summary of the case study provided by Sharp NEC. You can read the full case study here.
The Challenge
Rafanelli and Nahas, the owners of the new commercial office building at 11th & Idaho in downtown Boise, ID, had a vision in mind when designing the lobby. They knew they wanted something that would differentiate their lobby and make their space stand out in the downtown area. After considering a variety of options, they landed on a showstopper to complete the 5,000 square-foot lobby – a video wall to be used as a revolving art installation.
Solution
NEC LED-FE015i2 1.5mm Indoor dvLED Display.
Result
Located directly adjacent to Boise’s newest city park, 11th & Idaho features incredible views from its roof-top deck all the way down to its dramatic 18-foot high windows in the lobby. One of the key features of the building’s lobby is the expansive 8 feet x 15 feet Direct View LED (dvLED) wall from Sharp NEC Display Solutions that sets it apart from any other space. The lobby welcomes tenants and visitors by showcasing the natural beauty of the state with a gorgeous, vibrant public art display featuring majestic nature scenes from around Idaho by local video artists.
Building the Building
Prior to construction, Rafanelli and Nahas searched to find an architect that would provide a thoughtful, elegant design for its downtown Boise commercial office building to bring an urban feel like what one would find in San Francisco or London. The award-winning team at Perkins + Will delivered a design to attract and support the next generation of professionals in downtown Boise.
The building features dramatic 18-foot high ceilings in the lobby and floor to ceiling windows looking out onto 11th St and the sprawling downtown cityscape, P+W designed the space to feature an engaging, highly impactful video wall. The leaders at Rafanelli and Nahas looked to Neurilink, a leading Northwest-based audio visual integrator, to bring their technology vision to reality. After reviewing a number of technology options, Rafanelli and Nahas decided on an expansive 8 ft. x 15 ft. dvLED video wall from Sharp NEC Display Solutions.
State of the ART
The goal of the video wall was to serve as more than a simple screen showing the news throughout the day. Rafanelli and Nahas wanted this dazzling display to be awe-inspiring for visitors to the building and those walking on the busy sidewalk downtown. The video wall serves as bridge between the clean lines and elegant design of the building and the rugged, picturesque beauty that defines Idaho. Rafanelli and Nahas commissioned video artists to film high contrast, high impact nature scenes all around the state to make viewers feel as if they are standing among mountain peaks, walking through a grove of aspens, or wading through a shallow stream.
“This wall is more than a video display, it is a work of art,” said Scott Schoenherr, Partner at Rafanelli and Nahas Management Corporation. “Not only has this technology from Sharp/ NEC met our needs in terms of size, image clarity, hardware quality and energy usage, it has also helped us meet our vision for what is possible and to stand apart from other buildings in the region.”