Eaton’s new campus in Cleveland, Ohio, includes cutting-edge AV technology in the building’s atrium that’s guaranteed to attract attention. Electrosonic was charged with designing the AV systems, media control and power management for the Eaton Experience Center, which combines art and information in a distinctive, memorable way.
The installation was conceived and designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA). Electrosonic served as a consultant to RAA to do the pre-engineering during design phases, and were ultimately contracted by Eaton to build the installation.
The Eaton Experience Center is a unique environment created to help communicate Eaton’s values and its leading position in power management end markets to employees, customers, suppliers, business partners and government, political and civic leaders. The Experience Center consists of:
- Twelve 3D animated illustrations
- Four 65-inch interactive multi-touch tables
- An 80 by 14 foot LED curtain featuring abstract or natural landscapes and data visualizations
- A brilliant 53-foot LED chandelier that complements the animations on the LED curtain.
The centerpiece of the Eaton atrium is a five-story chandelier comprised of Traxon Imagic Weave LED mesh wrapped into a cylinder 53 feet tall by 12 feet in diameter. The LED mesh combines a woven stainless steel mesh grid with individually-addressable LEDs to form a canvas for vivid, large-scale media. 
The chandelier can display specific media on a pre-determined timeline or media for a particular show via a Medialon show controller.
“The chandelier was a pretty unique project, ” says Electrosonic project manager Bryan Vogel. “It was two years in the making with the metal fabric built section by section, piece by piece on a rotisserie with jig. Every measurement had to be laser-perfect. If it was off by a quarter-inch on one end it would be off by five inches at the other.”
Electrosonic kicked off its involvement in the project in September 2011. “We were responsible for the technology connectivity – making the elements of the Experience Center work together, ” explains Vogel. “We needed to use the technology to its full potential.”
Displaying content created by Ralph Appelbaum & Associates, the chandelier serves as a giant art installation as well as a source of illumination. “It’s beautiful. You have a feeling that you’re watching a sunset or are underwater; you get absorbed by the light, ” Vogel says.
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“Traxon Imagic Weave mesh is a very unique product. We tested the racks for weeks because of the complexity and delicacy of the system, ” he recalls. “We had to make sure it would be hardy in a commercial environment.”
The 80-foot curtain wall in the atrium is also comprised of Traxon Imagic Weave with transparent LED nodes in a 62.5mm pitch. The nodes display a video signal sourced from the head-end AV equipment room.
The four interactive tables feature 65-inch LCD displays in a custom kiosk table. “They’re the ultimate cutting-edge technology for touch tables, ” says Vogel. “They’re very high quality and have Mitsubishi LCDs modified for this purpose by Cyber Touch.”
Electrosonic designed and fabricated custom power panels for the LED curtain wall and the chandelier to power the mesh with voltage sensors. “The power panels give employees real-time analysis so they know exactly what’s happening power-wise with each system, ” Vogel explains. “The power control monitoring is first class: It has airport/government specifications, so employees are alerted to any fluctuations to power and amperage, and if there are any problems it pinpoints the area.”
Vogel says it was a challenge getting all the systems “to talk together, but Medialon was the right choice for the control system. Its open architecture enables the client to do unlimited things. So the AV elements in Eaton’s atrium can change and grow with the client’s expectations.”
Tim Ventimiglia, RAA Director Berlin Operations, concluded “From my view, this installation shows in a dramatic way what you can achieve when an av systems integrator like Electrosonic is brought on board early during the design process and then executes the work. The level of detail and refinement represented in the Chandelier and Curtain structures would not have been possible without this early coordination.”
About Eaton
Eaton is a diversified power management company providing energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power. A global technology leader, Eaton acquired Cooper Industries plc in November 2012. The 2012 revenue of the combined companies was $21.8 billion on a pro forma basis. Eaton has approximately 103, 000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.
About Electrosonic
Electrosonic is an international audio-visual company that creates tailored, state-of-the-art solutions for a wide range of markets including theme parks, museums, control rooms, and corporate meeting rooms. Since its founding in 1964, Electrosonic has built a strong reputation for working on complex projects, both large and small, and has developed lasting partnerships with customers and suppliers. Beyond complete integrated systems, Electrosonic provides a comprehensive scope of services including technical design, projector lamp sales, maintenance and operational support.
Learn more about Electrosonic. Visit https://www.electrosonic.com
