Dramatic LED Video Wall Sets the Tone for Premier South Florida Development
Plaza Coral Gables is a Mediterranean-style development located in the heart of downtown Coral Gables and the largest mixed-use project in the city’s history. Spanning three city blocks, the development includes two Class A office tower buildings (North and South Office Towers), a 17-story luxury apartment building, a 242-room Loews Hotel, 35 low-rise lofts/apartments and 162,000 square-feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space. Developer Agave Ponce is building the $500 million project in overlapping phases with an expected completion date of August 2022.
The North Office Tower was completed in late 2020 and has become the new headquarters for Agave Ponce. The building fronts Ponce de Leon, a major thoroughfare of Coral Gables, and the two-story ground floor lobby functions as a de facto introduction to the entire Plaza Coral Gables development. As a defining feature of the North Tower—and the project as a whole—a nearly 26-foot-long, 26-foot-high Planar® DirectLight® X LED Video Wall System with a 1.8mm pixel pitch (DLX1.8) in a 13x23 configuration was integrated in the lobby space.
Installed by audio visual integrator Pro Sound & Video, the Planar DirectLight X LED video wall is positioned approximately eight feet off the ground and extends nearly all the way to the lobby ceiling, 35 feet from the floor. According to Chad Christensen, technology manager at Agave Ponce, the LED video wall sends a not-so-subtle message to visitors: They have set foot in a place that’s special.
“The LED video wall is very impressive, and it drives home the point that the building is unlike anything else in the area,” Christensen said. “It represents what we bring to the table in terms of premium office, hotel, residential and commercial space.”
Pro Sound & Video worked with Planar, Agave Ponce and the building architect on the video wall design and installed Planar DirectLight X into the space using a custom Draper mount solution. The Planar DirectLight X LED video wall includes its own integrated mount, yet the massive configuration size and the way it needed to be fastened to the building called for something more robust. The Draper team engineered a custom structure to interface between the wall and the display technology with extreme alignment and rigidity. “The video wall looks absolutely incredible in the space,” said Pro Sound & Video Account Executive Mark Wilson. “It’s the standout feature of the room, just magnificent. The project was a well-coordinated effort, and it showcases what Planar and Pro Sound & Video are capable of doing.”
A stunning building amenity
The Planar DirectLight X LED video wall provides a compelling tool for generating excitement in the lobby and driving occupancy in the North Tower. “We use it to welcome new and prospective tenants to the building,” Christensen said. “It lets them know that we understand how important it is to incorporate the latest technology in a Class A office building.”
The Planar DirectLight X LED video wall is not only a dramatic visual feature, but also an amenity. “That’s the unique selling point of the LED video wall,” Christensen said. “Tenants of the building can hold events in the space and use the display to their benefit. It provides a tremendous value for companies that locate here.”
Supporting the city’s cultural heritage
Coral Gables is known for its art scene and rich cultural history. From the time when the video wall was first planned, one of the main intents of Agave Ponce was to use Planar DirectLight X as a digital canvas for art in public places.
“Art and culture are ingrained into the city’s process, and it was important for us to contribute to that,” Christensen said. “We anticipate partnering with the city and hosting a lot of events. Our goal is for the LED display to serve as a community wall for featuring different forms of artwork and supporting local artists.”
Agave Ponce engaged Miami-based Blackdove, a curator of digital art, to provide collections of video artwork that are displayed on the LED video wall. Agave Ponce also features content and imagery unique to Mexico. “Our company is part of the Jose Cuervo family, and we have lots of beautiful scenery of agave fields and the countryside that we showcase on the video wall. It’s been a great tool and we’re still discovering all of the different capabilities that it offers. Planar has been a great partner and we are very pleased with how everything turned out.”
