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Projection digital signage lights up St. Louis Union Station

Christie announced its 4K 3DLP projectors are playing a key role at the historic Grand Hall in St. Louis Union Station, supporting what the company says is 'the largest permanently installed indoor immersive projection mapping attraction in the United States.'

October 23, 2015

Christie announced its 4K 3DLP projectors are playing a key role at the historic Grand Hall in St. Louis Union Station, supporting what the company says is "the largest permanently installed indoor immersive projection mapping attraction in the United States."

First opened in 1894 and once the world's largest and busiest train terminal, today's renovated Union Station features a new hotel, as well as bars, restaurants and shops, according to the announcement.

Dubbed "The Grand Hall Experience at Union Station," the presentation won the Themed Entertainment Association's Thea 2015 Award for Outstanding Achievement – Live Show, Limited Budget and the IAAPA BrassRing Award for Excellence. Created by Technomedia Solutions, the vibrant light show spans the Hall's 65-foot vaulted barrel ceiling and two curved walls using a 10.1 surround-sound system, LED accent lighting, an automated control system and multimedia content.

"We wanted to honor the space and wanted to make sure that what we created wasn't just a layer on top of that but really blended in very well into the architecture," said John Miceli, president and chief creative officer, Technomedia Creative & Mood technologies.

With content aimed at "creating a magical atmosphere and adding an element of surprise," according to the announcement, "sprites" project around the room at random intervals, bringing the space to life slowly as the room transitions from daylight hall to a controlled-light theater hall. Each show consists of three to 10 custom-produced vignettes ranging from local historical facts and the local sports teams, to the Mississippi River, and to "3D visual wonder and illusion" pieces – all highlighting what projection mapping can do to spaces like this. Narration is provided by St. Louis natives John Goodman, John Hamm and others, including famed sportscasters Bob Costas and Joe Buck.

"The biggest appeal of the venue is that people come and see something they cannot see anywhere else in St. Louis, or even the country," Miceli said in the announcement. "We [had] many hurdles to overcome to achieve this level of seamless experience and immersive environment, but our biggest challenge by far was light, which practically floods the entire space all day and tends to bleed its way into the space in so many ways at night. In addition to a varied combination of AV technology, we knew the Christie 4K projectors were the right choice from the start to light up the two ends of the Hall. They are the optimal size for the space, with powerful 4K resolution and, with 35,000 lumens, superior brightness levels to overcome the ambient light."