ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rasool Sayed is a project director for SNA Displays, where he manages some of the digital signage industry’s most high-profile, large-scale LED video projects. Rasool has a Bachelor of Architecture from the School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology. He works out of SNA Displays’ Los Angeles office. Learn more about Rasool from his employee spotlight.
I’ve been fortunate to manage the implementation of some of the largest and most recognized LED video display systems my company has built. One of those massive projects is the recently completed Circa Digital Spectacular in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. As one of the biggest video screens on the West Coast, this reimagined LED mega-spectacular is a monumental achievement for SNA Displays and a point of professional pride, especially because I was heavily involved in the original three-screen spectacular at Circa.
We’re well known for building massive, complex LED spectaculars, so my team has a solid grip on many of the challenges involved in such projects. But even with all that experience, we always have an eye out for new challenges, and we lean into them to find the right solution.
From a project leader’s perspective, here’s a look at what went into the demolition and rebuild of such a high-profile digital out-of-home (DOOH) platform.
Project Scope
Broadly speaking, our job was to replace the three original LED screens at Circa with a single, continuous LED canvas that hugged the curved façade tightly. This required managing demolition of about 18,000 square feet of LED display tech and replacing it with an even larger screen at an even higher resolution. And we had an extremely aggressive four-month timeline to complete both of these enormous phases.
My colleague Davis Green got some great drone video and photos of the demolition process, and you definitely should check out the article and the video he did for our Pixels in Progress series.
Fully integrating the new LED panels into the architecture also required adding a massive amount of steel and incorporating architectural fins into the design of the façade. These new steel fins surround the display on all sides and help give it a natural flow across varying radii while also providing contrast around the display for the content.
The fins are engineered by SNA Displays to provide natural light and air flow for the parking garage behind the screen. They also close the gaps between screens that had different heights and large spaces in between them.
In addition to the steel, my team managed dozens of contracting trades such as specialized concrete painters, electricians, drywall hangers, etc. Because we managed the vast scope of demolition this time around, there were many more trades to coordinate than the previous installation.
Working in busy downtown Los Angeles above several restaurants throughout this project required logistics maneuvering, including custom sidewalk bridges that preserved the visibility and access for local business during onsite work. We also added doors to the server rooms and fencing to secure electrical panels.
Tons and Tons of Steel
The biggest challenge with the Circa refresh was managing all the steel. Despite having a sleeker design, we still had a good deal more surface area to cover, which meant documenting the existing steel conditions, matching the existing steel with the new design, and implementing the new steel.
For example, on the side of the screen facing S. Figueroa Street, the new design required the screen to protrude from the building between 9 inches and 2 feet in order to match the building architecture. To keep the screen flush, we had to take the most extreme position of the original façade while keeping the LED panels in line with the extra protrusion. In other words, once we made the display bigger, it had to come off the building more and that required more steelwork.
Likewise, with different levels of catwalks throughout the back of the display, we had to make sure steel members didn’t impede serviceability. Because the display had added steel to push it out further from the building, maintaining the same service corridors from the rear was critical.
A Winged Wrench in the Works
For outdoor jobs, it’s common to account for delays caused by weather changes and city events (like the Dodgers Day Parade!). But sometimes, new challenges arise that can leave even seasoned managers a little perplexed. In this case, that problem was birds, specifically bird droppings.
You see, during demolition we found many years’ worth of bird droppings stuck to the steel of the original Circa Digital. That may sound like a common occurrence for an outdoor job site in a big city, but the sheer volume made this one stand out.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t simply wipe the mess away with rags and cleaning solution. This backlog of hazardous waste required intervention from specialists using state and federally approved cleaning methods before we could continue. The cleaning company we hired even arrived in body suits and face shields with specialized tools and solvents to get the job done.
We also had to install coverings to ensure the waste didn’t drop down to the store fronts below. All in all, this accounted for two weeks of an already crowded project timeline.
Despite the complexities and challenges that the massive demolition and reimagined installation of the Circa Digital Spectacular represents, I think the results speak for themselves. Thanks to the design team’s vision, a great team of SNAPros™, and wonderful partners, this is something I can look at with professional pride and show off as a key example of what it means for SNA Displays to build big.
For more digital signage topics, articles, and project deep dives, visit Limelight: The SNA Blog.