A first for Australia, UniSA's giant LED screen has raised the bar

Following the completion of UniSA's Bradley Building in 2018, our team have been back... but this time, creating a major first for Australia!

Like spiders on a web, a highly skilled workforce have been scaling the building transforming UniSA’s eastern façade into one giant LED display.

Home to MOD, UniSA are known for smart thinking and innovative ideas so naturally, this project pushed boundaries. A first for Australia, the screen comprising of three 25mm pitch panels each measuring 2.6m x 29m have transformed Adelaide’s riverbank into an everchanging canvas of vibrancy and colour.  The  electronic display split across 3 panels are designed to be read as one image with the mind’s eye filling in the gaps.

This project has not been as simple as it seems - A military-like operation drove the removal of sun shades and vertical fins, followed by the installation of new fins one abseil at a time. Around 50 sprinklers have been added to the facade to provide additional fire protection to the building. This was all achieved by using a swing stage hanging down from the roof… No heavy machinery, no fancy equipment,  just a team of experts working methodically and safely.  

The screen technology itself is also worthy of note as it is ‘light’ transparent. The tiny LED lamps are arranged on a mesh rather than a solid surface. This means staff and students still get a great view of North Terrace whilst those passing see a vibrant digital image thirty metres tall.

Raising the bar in innovative façade systems, UniSA will not only light up our world but support South Australia’s digital artists to reach great heights, both literally and metaphorically.

#uniSALED
Video and photography credit: Chris Oaten, Insight Visuals