After a long time in the making, Arlington County opened the Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center, a modern aquatics and recreation facility committed to the promise of fitness and fun for Arlington County residents, families and visitors. Located along the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia., the 92,000-square-foot facility features numerous community amenities dedicated to aquatic activities and physical wellness, including:
An Olympic-size 50-meter competition pool with diving boards.
A leisure pool for families complete with water play features and a lazy river and water slide.
An 8,000-square-foot fitness center with cardio, weight training and group fitness classes.
Aquatic classrooms and community rooms.
The Long Bridge Center also incorporates the latest in display and audio system technologies. The main feature is a 20-footlong, 11.5-foot-high Planar® CarbonLight™ CLO Series outdoor LED video wall with a 3.9mm pixel pitch in a 12x8 configuration, which is mounted prominently over the competition pool area.
Installed by Richmond, Va.-based Productive AV, the Planar CarbonLight CLO LED video wall provides a centerpiece for the Long Bridge Center complex, said Productive AV Marketing Representative Austin Harber. “It interfaces with the facility’s timekeeping system for swim competitions and can be used to display announcements, event information, live video and statistics during meets,” he said.
Productive AV integrated the rest of the center’s audio-visual technologies, including three built-in cameras that integrate with the video system. “The biggest challenge throughout this project was the water,” Harber said. “Electrical equipment needed to be waterproof against corrosive materials. Planar’s design, with carbon-fiber construction and an IP65 waterproof rating, provides durability for this environment.”
Flexible Uses, Numerous Options
Iggy Rodriguez, assistant manager of the Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center, said the Planar CarbonLight CLO video wall puts the center on a different level compared to similar facilities in the area with 50-meter pools. “It gives us lots of options as we continue to expand our programs, offerings and events,” Rodriguez explained.
The three built-in cameras installed by Productive AV can be controlled individually, allowing the center to project different parts of the pool onto the display. Rodriguez sees this flexibility being put to use.
“I’m thinking specifically of diving events,” he said. “Our diving area is located off to one side of the pool, so relaying live footage to the video board would provide people in spectator seating [who have a direct line of sight to the display] with a better viewing experience of the diving competitions.”
Long term, Rodriguez envisions the LED video wall helping to attract larger events as well as supporting external uses such as facility rentals. “Additionally, we can organize internal events utilizing the video wall. For example, one of the things we hope to do soon is a movie night, with people watching from the pool, the pool deck or even our spectator seating area. There are so many different things we can do with that video board- the opportunities are endless.”
Rodriguez added that the user experience has been “phenomenally easy.” “We don’t have any dedicated AV staff here on site. So, it’s typically our building staff operating it-and it’s truly a very easy thing to do.”
About the Planar CarbonLight CLO Series
Planar CarbonLight CLO Series outdoor LED video wall displays incorporate a thin and modular design paired with a high-strength carbon fiber casing to fit a wide range of simple or complex hanging and free-standing applications. With a patented carbon fiber construction, Planar CarbonLight LED displays are uniquely lightweight and strong. The displays feature an IP65 Ingress Protection Rating which means they are dust tight and protected against even powerful water jets, making it a viable option for outdoor use.
