Two enormous LED displays each measuring 42-feet wide by 60-feet high have been installed atop the tallest skyscraper in Los Angeles, the Wilshire Grand. Once turned on, the displays will be able to beam messages out across the city, according to a Los Angeles Times article. Each screen is made up of of 250 million pixels, red, blue, and green LED pixels each. In addition to the LED video displays at the top of the building, about 2.5 miles of LEDs run up and down the spine of the building.
Displays a Long Time Coming
For about the last ten years, architects and building owners have been using LED lighting technology to highlight the architectural elements of the urban landscape at night. Back in 2011, the Los Angeles City Council approved a plan that allows buildings in the area to have LED displays that can show advertising. As part of this plan, the Wilshire Grand would serve as the anchor of a sign district along the Figueroa Corridor.
Supporters of the plan asserted that the advertisements would enliven the area. The display atop the Wilshire Grand will show the logo for Korean Airlines, which owns the building, and the InterContinental Hotel, a primary tenant of the building. Also, a street-level sign will show static advertisements. Lighting design firm StandardVision worked for several years to bring the LED displays and LED lighting to the iconic building.
Now, an app can control the brightness of the displays. When the sun is still out, the displays must be made brighter to be visible. Also, at night, the lights along the spine of the building can change color to fit the events taking place in the city. The designers expect to use the displays and the LED lights as a symbol of LA pride.
