Lobby Screens – 30 Hudson Yards

The setup uses a similar playback system and CMS that drives the 100+ screens around Hudson Yards, updated and configured to run two 5.5:1, five and a half metre wide screens that have been installed in the welcome area of Related Companies’ new corporate office. The installation of these specially-designed screens provides a bespoke cutting-edge system that showcases beautiful and engaging media, which can be quickly and easily updated, for visitors to 30 Hudson Yards.

The installation plays through a rich mixture of visuals, based around six themed modules which include design & architecture, innovation and skylines; all topics tightly-ingrained in Related Companies’ work. The screens’ displayed content changes between operating as a single entity, as two separate displays and as split screens to keep the content visually interesting.

The different modules are made up of slideshows and motion graphics of photographs and video as well as beautifully-rendered full-screen CG idents created by Framestore’s design team. The variety of content, how it’s displayed and the ability to present up to date information using a variety of templates keeps the screens feeling fresh and engaging.

The bespoke CMS that supports the screens was designed specifically by Framestore Labs for Hudson Yards and gives the operators at Related Companies the ability to easily add new content for the screens at any time. They can use the templates to create new imagery or video content, positioning it in any configuration on the screen and can add complementary visuals, textures and text.

Branded, realtime transitions between content complete each module and a range of colours and designs are available in the CMS to add beautifully fluid animations to any of the sequences.

Because the London-based Labs team couldn’t travel due to current restrictions, Framestore’s local engineering team in New York were on hand to install the new screens and the CMS and playout system at 30 Hudson Yards, overseen remotely by the production and project management team in the UK.

“Following the huge installation throughout Hudson Yards, the plan was always to bring some of the screens’ rich media into the company’s headquarters to showcase the work they do to visitors,” commented Jonny Dixon, Global Head of Production, Labs. “Our production team did an exceptional job carrying out this portion of the project entirely remotely while we all worked from home. They made sure everything was delivered on time and looked as good as possible as it plays inside 30 Hudson Yards.”