Without experience, it’s easy to get over your head when diving into the world of digital signage. From design to installation, the process is wildly different from the realm of monuments, channel letters and pylons. That’s where AV designers come in.
“If they’re looking to create interactive or engaging advertising, we’d be a great fit,” says Josh Almeida, Artist and Founder at Orlando-based Ascend Studios. “Digital signage is the future. Having an ad that reacts to people creates a much more engaging experience, transforming signage from something passive to something fun.”
The 13-year-old AV design firm has 10 full-time “Ascenders” and a network of partners across the country, allowing the team to create unique installations and AV systems for boutique restaurants, interactive museum exhibits, massive resort projects and more.
That work recently included a 360° immersive space for a major engineering firm in Houston, Burns and McDonnell. Sign Builder Illustrated recently interviewed Almeida about the project, including the tools and techniques employed to install 203 LED tiles. Read on to learn how “The Cave” came to life.
SBI: How did you first land the project with Burns and McDonnell?
ALMEIDA: One of our favorite partners, AVmedia, who handles their AV conferencing needs, heard what Burns and McDonnell (BM) was dreaming up and recommended Ascend as the perfect partner to bring that vision to life. It was such a compliment! There were other vendors in the mix, but they were the big names in the industry and treated BM like just another client, without offering any creative direction for the design. Our team flew to Houston several times to pitch ideas that elevated the design into a full experience.
SBI: What was the client’s request for this space?
ALMEIDA: The concept began when someone from Burns and McDonnell saw our software partner, Igloo Vision, showcase their 360° immersive space at a trade show. They wanted their own video cave experience in the Houston office. They brought us that idea, and we took it further, creating a fully themed experience by swapping projection mapping for direct-view LED screens. We added a killer sound system and LED lighting that syncs with the content for a truly stunning experience.
SBI: What does the company use it for, and what type of experience did you aim to create?
ALMEIDA: Burns and McDonnell, one of the world’s largest engineering firms, works on massive projects across engineering, architecture, construction and environmental consulting. Their work is detailed and impressive.
When they present their Smart Grid or renewable energy projects to clients, they use “The Cave”—a 360° LED experience we created—where they can walk clients through 3D designs at real-life scale. Unlike VR headsets, which can be isolating and require more maintenance, “The Cave” allows them to point to elements like control panels on the 360° video wall, giving everyone the same immersive, shared view before any construction begins.
They also use the space for sales presentations and team safety training. While the project might seem expensive at first glance, the ability to catch design updates before construction can save millions. Plus, presenting a project on ultra-high-resolution LED screens that wrap around the room? Talk about making an impression!
SBI: Who created the videos displayed on the walls?
ALMEIDA: There are several room experiences selectable via the iPad controller. Some of the content, like 3D AutoCAD or Revit files, is created by their team. Igloo Vision designed the on-wall user interface, and Ascend created the fun, artistic designs. One of the room’s favorites is a custom design I surprised them with, featuring palm trees and sacred geometry. Just because the room is used for work doesn’t mean it can’t be fun!
SBI: What was the inspiration behind the visuals?
ALMEIDA: For Ascend’s artistic visuals, I wanted to give the room a fun, intriguing vibe that could be used for special events or happy hours. I aimed for a design that felt out-of-this-world but still relatable. Since this is the first 360° LED video wall of its kind in North America, I wanted it to be a futuristic experience. Being based in Orlando, we included palms as a nod to Florida and incorporated spinning shapes with sacred geometry to create a fun, imaginative atmosphere.
SBI: Why did you choose LED panels for this space instead of projection?
ALMEIDA: Great question! This was a major discussion early on. The original design used edge-blending projectors, which is a popular and budget-friendly option. However, projection has limitations. Ascend updated the design with direct-view LED screens because they allow for normal room lighting, and the video imagery is far superior. The brightness and vividness of LED screens simply can’t be matched by projectors. For a truly epic experience, direct-view LED is the way to go, and we partnered with Absen, a global leader in LED manufacturing, to deliver.
SBI: What kind of panels and DMX lighting did you select?
ALMEIDA: The lighting was a challenge. Many in-ceiling, color-changing lights don’t have the punch we needed for a professional, concert-level feel. We worked with one of our lighting partners to customize their ultra-bright pendant lights for this project, and the result was incredible.
SBI: Walk us through the process of creating the videos and displaying them on the screens.
ALMEIDA: We created three preset viewing options:
- Window View: Team members can wirelessly stream their laptop screens within a window on the 360° LED screens, which can be resized and moved as needed.
- Theater View: This is for standard 16:9 content like movies, which displays full-screen on the main wall (8 feet by 18 feet).
- Full Immersion View: The best one! This mode wraps custom-made or 360° videos around the entire room for a fully immersive experience.
SBI: How is the system controlled?
ALMEIDA: Users control the system through a wall-mounted touch panel. With one button, the LED video walls, media servers, lighting and sound system are all activated. They can also control lighting colors and sound volume. For 3D designs and mockups, they use an iPad paired with the Igloo Ice app to navigate their renderings.
SBI: How do you strike a balance between immersive and overstimulating?
ALMEIDA: With any black-box theater setup, the combination of bright screens and a dark room can cause eye strain. One of the key reasons we used LED screens instead of projectors is that LED allows for ambient room lighting, which is much easier on the eyes. We also dialed in the brightness to 60%, so people can enjoy longer sessions without feeling overwhelmed.
SBI: Tell us about the installation process.
ALMEIDA: We used a wide array of tools! Ascend builds all of our mounts in-house, and we set up a small workshop onsite. Aligning the walls was the hardest part—getting the corners perfect so there were no gaps, but also ensuring no pressure on the pixels. We used calipers to measure hair-thin differences.
It took our five-person team about three weeks to install the display, with two weeks spent mounting and aligning the LED panels. Ascend worked closely with clients engineering and general contractor teams for a seamless installation. The final week was dedicated to programming, testing and training.
SBI: What was the project like overall, and what was the biggest challenge?
ALMEIDA: It was an absolute blast! The whole project took about eight months from pitch to completion, including some physical updates to the room, like moving walls and improving airflow to keep the room cool with all the equipment running.
Aligning all five walls perfectly for the 360° experience was a major challenge. We spent so much time tweaking and perfecting the alignment.
SBI: What AV and digital trends are on your radar?
ALMEIDA: AI-driven cameras, interactive experiences, lasers, moving lights—anything that brings people into the action. Post-COVID, people want epic, out-of-this-world experiences like the Van Gogh projections or the Vegas Sphere.
SYSTEM SPECS
- EPIC 65-foot-by-9-foot, 1.5 pixel pitch LED video wall
- 203 LED tiles with a total resolution of 12,704 by 1,998
- Total array of 36 rows by 10 columns
- Full QSC QSYS control system with full automation
- Custom designed and themed app for the iPad and touch panel
- K-Array speaker system
- Full color, RGBW ultra bright ceiling lighting with lighting processor
- Igloo 360 software and mapping that supports full 3D, 360 walk throughs for programming like AutoCAD, Revit, YouTube 360 and other 360 media software
