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EUROPE’S HIGHEST 360 DEGREE LED SCREEN TURNED ON 31st OCTOBER 2009 BT has installed what is believed to be the highest 360 degree LED information band in Europe and the Americas at the top the BT Tower in London. The information band rejuvenates this 1960’s landmark and will deliver messages, text and information that will be visible across London. The information band will be switched on for the first time on  Saturday 31st October. Click here to read the article in Event magazine.

The screen is over 280 square meters in area, and is wrapped around the Tower’s 36 and 37th floors, at a height of 167 meters above street level. 

As the communications services partner for London 2012, BT’s role is not just to deliver flawless communications in the Olympic Park and Venues, but to help tell the story of the Games and engage the nation with what’s happening. As one of the most iconic and well-known landmarks in London,  the BT Tower is uniquely placed to generate pride and excitement amongst Londoners today – 1000 days to the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.  The BT Tower is an iconic symbol of BT’s place at the heart of the nation and we are returning it to its original role – as an Information Tower. It’s already getting a great reaction and we look forward to playing  an essential role in informing and engaging people across the  UK as the road to London 2012 begins in earnest.

Suzi Williams
BT Group Marketing and Brand Director

Working with BT on this project to reinvigorate the BT Tower as a key brand asset was a perfect fit for Imagination’s core expertise and heritage in delivering high impact, high precision experiential activation programmes. Enabling BT to re-establish itself at the heart of London, and providing a new medium for exposing the brand to a global media audience, to Londoners, and to visitors to London has been a pleasure.

Sally Crabb
Creative Director at Imagination

 Screen facts:
o 167 metres above street level
o Situated at the Tower’s 36th and 37th floors
o Total LED area of 282 sq metres
o Circumference of screen 59m (or seven London routemasters, end to end)
o 4.8m in height
o 177 separate panels
o 176,250 pixels at 40mm pitch
o 528, 750 individual LEDs
o 3.6 tonnes

A unique design challenge and complex construction issues:
Due to the unique nature of the building and the height of the screen, the project was extremely challenging in terms of construction and engineering. At this height the screen has to endure harsh weather conditions, and to ensure durability it has been fully tested at the Jules Verne climatic wind tunnel in Nantes, France, for combined climatic effects including wind speeds of up to 190km per hour as well as rain, snow and high temperatures

In just 14 weeks the programme involved:
• 2,700 separate trips in the lift to transport materials to the top of the Tower
• Computer scaffold design and the erection of over 7 miles of scaffolding and scaffolding components
• Installing nearly 2.5 miles of power, lighting and electrical cable
• Safety tethering all tools and materials, including 11,000 scaffold components
• Nearly 1500 wind checks, as no installation work could take place in winds more than 15kts
• 114 construction workers and engineers
• A total of 30,600 man hours

Click here to read more about ISES UK Silver Level Sponsors, Imagnination.