The 2008 Beijing Olympics is arguably one of the most technologically-forward sporting event in history. The Chinese capital is pulling all the stops from building the biggest airport to constructing the longest bridge along with uniquely-shaped sporting venues such as the Olympic Stadium that is shaped like a bird’s nest. Aside from these, visitors will also get to see the world’s largest color LED display.
The GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall is a gigantic display consisting of over 2,000 color light emitting diodes combined with China’s first photovoltaic system then intergrated into a glass curtain wall stretching up to 2,200 square meters. It is designed by New York-based architect Simone Garcia in cooperation with China’s solar powerhouse Suntech.
The technology works by laminating the polycrystalline photovoltaic cells within the glass of the curtain wall and placing them with changing density on the entire building’s skin. The density pattern increases the building’s performance, allowing natural light when required by interior program while reducing heat gain and transforming excessive solar radiation into energy for the media wall.
The display forms the curtain wall of the Xicui Entertainment Complex in Beijing, generating its own energy from the sun during the day and then using it to illuminate the screen after dark. The curtain wall is in contrast to the usual high-resolution screens that litter Beijing’s building facades with advertisements and animations, as it would only display low-resolution abstract visuals.
Once it becomes open to the public in June, the facade will play host to a specially-commissioned program of video installations and live performances by various visual artists both from China and overseas. The project can also be considered as a model for sustainable "architainment" (combining architecture with entertainment) in a country where outdoor visuals are huge and common, and green designs are desperately needed.
The GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall is part of the Beijing Olympics’ attempt to install green architectural projects, which includes various sporting venues such as the Watercube, the Linked Hybrid, the Olympic Athletes Center, and the Bird’s Nest.
