From Eyesore To Eye Candy
With an increasing number of vacant and neglected premises on our high streets, it is clear that our city centres are the recession’s latest casualties. With plans for re-development often put on hold due to lack of funds, councils have struggled to find appropriate methods of improving inner city areas.
Anyway, determined to address the situation, the UK’s Sheffield City Council have undertaken a six month beautification scheme and chose Urban Digital to create an exciting installation that will improve both the appearance and functionality of its city centre.
Here we see some great BEFORE and AFTER photos…
BEFORE
Sheffield’s city centre received the makeover, which has seen these neglected buildings transformed into striking and innovative units – as well as receiving full vinyl surgery that compliments their existing architecture, each houses a fully networked, remotely managed display screen that promotes attractions in Sheffield and the surrounding areas…
AFTER
Richard Eyre, City Centre Manager has described the initial response to the installation as very positive, commenting that “the screen is working well and already generating a large amount of interest to welcome people to the Sheffield Showcase”.
Featuring a selection of video footage, the visually impressive screens provide information designed specifically to interest the local community. With local and regional business showing great enthusiasm for the installations, commercialisation opportunities are also likely, generating increased interest in and an economic boost to the city.
The displays feature DNP high performance screens with an array of Panasonic projectors providing the high lumen level required to combat daylight conditions. Content is managed and scheduled remotely from Urban Digital’s head office and Urban Digital also deployed their new custom designed remote monitoring software which monitors the health of the whole display solution.
About Urban Digital
Urban Digital is a Digital Out-of-Home Media and Technology company. Their digital signage solutions and market leading content delivery systems enable clients to showcase products and successfully deliver specific messages to their audience in public spaces.
August 4th, 2009 at 23:23 @016
Seems like it’s a low maintenance, high visual impact, a quick solution to the problem of vacant shop fronts. Nice work.
While I’d be fascinated to see the station’s “health monitoring” reports, I reckon that the acid test will be whether or not it gets vandalised.
I take it that the wall wasn’t installed in time to keep the queues outside Northern Rock entertained!