ArchShowcase 
Sanjay Gangal
Sanjay Gangal is the President of IBSystems, the parent company of AECCafe.com, MCADCafe, EDACafe.Com, GISCafe.Com, and ShareCG.Com. West Hollywood Belltower in California by Tom Wiscombe ArchitectureNovember 16th, 2016 by Sanjay Gangal
Article source: Tom Wiscombe Architecture The history of the American billboard tracks with the larger cultural and technological history of media distribution and aesthetic sensibilities. In the early 20th century, the billboard began as a large sign or three-dimensional icon, often calling attention to immediate building functions or domestic products. With the explosion of car culture and the film industry at mid-century, the billboard was transformed into something non-local, something representing filmic worlds, in wide-screen formats. Sunset Boulevard has played a distinct role in the evolution of the billboard, particularly in the 60’s and 70’s, with edgy content, protruding elements, and promotional appearances by music stars. The two-dimensionality of the billboard began to move towards three-dimensionality, simultaneously existing as sign and object. Our proposal aims to build on this legacy in a contemporary way, with an iconic object-billboard programmed with an unprecedented breadth of commercial, cultural, and interactive media content.  Rendered by: Kilograph
 Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture Deep Urban Archetypes The Belltower is oriented vertically in contrast to the ubiquitous flat, horizontal billboards of the Sunset Strip. In particular, it avoids the “sign-on-a-stick” billboard typology in favor of something spatial and interactive. It operates on the level of deep urban archetypes, such as ancient bell-towers, clock-towers, and obelisks, which are associated with civic space and community engagement. It expresses the contemporary transition from an era of centrally-controlled media empires to a time of great diversity in marketing strategies and stakeholders. It speaks to a world where commercial and cultural content can be hybridized, and media is no longer a just a way of advertising but a way of life.  Rendered by: Kilograph On its diamond-like outer petals, the Belltower provides for a combination of commercial media, feed from cultural events (such as the recent Elton John/ Lady Gaga appearance at Tower Records), branding and news for the City of West Hollywood, and video art interventions curated by our partner the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA). This diverse range of content will be composed into a serene, and sometimes surprising, experience that is woven into the everyday life of local residents. Made of perforated metal, the outer petals feature a mix of embedded high-resolution LED technology, video projections, and theatrical lighting to allow for flexibility in programming across the day, month, and year.  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture The Inner World The interior space of the Belltower is vertical, immersive, and engages the public imagination. It contains a sculptural object that is programmed with interactive and trending social media. This object can only be glimpsed by passing drivers; it is primarily intended to engage the pedestrian scale. Pedestrians can interact with it directly via apps on their smartphones, altering patterns of light pulled from the deep web, or ‘pushing’ digitally altered media content onto it.  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture Public Space/ Digital Space The Belltower is linked to the City of West Hollywood through an inviting public square, where pedestrians can meet, relax, and play. This square can also be used for cultural events with the Belltower as a live-feed backdrop. Sitting-steps, site lighting, and drought-tolerant landscaping connect the public square to the local environment, creating a totally integrated social experience.  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture Ultimately, the significance of this project is that it will exist simultaneously in two realms: the local physical space of the Sunset Strip and the global digital space of social media. Potentially the most ‘Instagrammable’ billboard in the world, this project will actively share the uniqueness and creativity of West Hollywood with the world.  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture  Image Courtesy © Tom Wiscombe Architecture
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Tags: California, USA Categories: Maya, Rhinoceros, Tower |
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