It’s not the first time ER Productions has been called upon to map lasers across architectural structures, but the monolithic Generali Tower in Milan, part of Zaha Hadid Architects’ CityLife development, is the biggest structure the award-winning laser company has worked on to date.
Ryan Hagan, co-founder of ER Productions, who designed the system and the creative programming platforms comments, “Mapping a Skyscraper with lasers was a first for ER productions and for the laser Industry as far as we know, and we are delighted with the result.”
Due for completion in 2020, Generali is the second of three towers on the site which will eventually crown the expansive shopping, residential, and business district. With a stunning architectural form, the 185-metre tall, 44 storey tower twists as it rises into the sky, which required extra attention during the planning and design stage.
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To bring the huge structure to life, ER Productions designed a laser system comprised of twenty-four 30-Watt RGB Phaenon Pro 30000 units. At FOH, 12 fixtures mapped the linear steel structures on the exterior of the building’s façade; with 6 units located on the lower curved portion of the structure and 6 at the upper end, all focussed to create a single projection surface.
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On the reverse side of the building, the laser mapping followed the same principle as the front of the building but had a slightly different projection set up with two individual focal points. All three projection sites were connected to FOH using via 1.2km fibre optic cable. With 48 projection zones located on each side, Hagan and his team could adjust the lasers to follow the curves of the building.
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Hagan went on to say, “The software we use is so versatile, programming is less challenging than lining-up each individual fixture, which took 3 nights to complete. When it came to programming, we used the Universe feature in Beyond to knit all the projection zones together and create 1 large projection surface, which enabled us to run shapes, colours, and even video content across the building’s entire surface.”
