Fredrikstad, Norway — Norway’s projectiondesign is has supplied its FL32 DLP® projectors to the California Academy of Sciences for use in its ‘Earthquake’ exhibit.
The projectors, which use the manufacturer’s ReaLED™ solid-state light-source technology, are used to drive the display aspects of a 20ft-wide immersive dome, which shows a three-minute film linking the concepts of geological time (plate movements over millions of years) and human time (earthquake activity, specifically in the San Francisco Bay Area).
The outputs of the projectors are seamlessly edge-blended onto a domed projection surface, with content being derived from 7thSense Delta media servers, and image processing and alignment from Scalable Display Technologies. Visual Acuity acted as an independent technology consultant for the project, effectively reprising the role the company performed in the original design of the Academy’s planetarium. Systems integration was performed by local AV systems company BBI Engineering.
This latest project for the Academy comes after projectiondesign supplied several projectors to the institution for its Morrison Planetarium, Water Planet exhibit, Hohfeld Hall pre-show area and scientific Visualization Studio in 2008.
Maria Dahl Aagaard, Product Marketing Manager, projectiondesign, adds: “When our relationship with the California Academy of Sciences started, we knew that they wanted to achieve Platinum LEED certification for sustainable building design, and we were delighted that the low power consumption and high efficiency of our projectors helped to make them first-choice.
“Four years later, with the Academy having achieved a second Platinum rating for its environmentally responsible operations and maintenance, the emphasis is even more firmly on sustainability. The ReaLED technology that powers our FL32 promises 100,000 hours of service life with no deterioration in output over time, which in addition to helping preserve our planet, also gives the customer a very low and completely predictable cost of ownership.”
Independent international technology consultant and long term partner with the California Academy of Sciences, Blair Parkin, Managing Director at Visual Acuity adds: “having worked extensively with projectiondesign and their integration partners during the 2008 opening we knew just where to go to find the latest in projection technology. Since the original project projectiondesign have made massive strides in furthering energy efficient display technology with the launch of their ReaLED product range hence it was an easy decision to select the FL32 projectors for this demanding application.”
‘Earthquake’, which contains a number of other attractions in addition to the mini-dome, occupies the entire west hall of the Academy and opened to the public for the first time on May 26, 2012. It is expected to be part of the Academy’s visitor offerings for several years.
