VMSD - February 2018 - 19

"Once inside, your attention is drawn to
the digital ceiling, so you take in the entire space immediately," says Schneider.
"Visitors flow easily to the first two levels,
but it was much harder to draw people
to the third through sixth levels. Part
of our idea was to move people upward
through the entire space, visually and
experientially."
The ceiling imagery created by ESI
provides the "wow" factor that JMB was
looking for. "We created a number of different moments where the ceiling almost
disappears and becomes something of
the outside world," Schneider says. "So
birds fly through and leaves rustle on
trees. It's all ultra high-definition content that's filmed with the latest camera
technology at 16K resolution."

general ambient audio throughout the
levels below."
A lot of thought went into retailer signage
below the ceiling. Schneider says, "All of
the stores face into the atrium on each of
the six floors, with store signage set back.
To help visitors more quickly discover
a store, ESI Design created illuminated
signage panels featuring retailer names,
which were placed directly in front of
each store facing out into the atrium,
making every retailer appear more visible
than before.
"It's a two-part approach - invite people
to the railing, and then make all of the
signage visible from that vantage point."

Then there is subtle branded messaging -
tenant names and products presented in
a kaleidoscope of color and pattern. "We
worked really hard to make the commercial messaging feel like an artistic layer on
top of a continuous background,"
says Schneider.

"Every floor has its own audio," says
Schneider, "but we've reinforced it at
the ceiling level with larger speakers that
radiate more directional audio. During
regular showstopper moments, the sound
primarily starts from up above, so people
respond to the directionality at the ceiling level. Then, the experience spreads
throughout the entire space, with more

If the goal of mall owners is to create
destinations, social media is very much a
driving force. 900 North Michigan Shops
enlisted ESI Design to help transform the
nearly 30-year-old complex into a 21stcentury attraction for Chicago residents,
shoppers, diners and tourists." It's pretty
incredible how everybody not only notices the experience, but responds to it
and goes, 'Wow,' and takes pictures and
selfies," says Schneider.
"I think that selfies are a really interesting
expression of peoples' desire to merge
their physical and digital worlds. People
will use the selfie to interact with physical
space, as long as that physical space is
designed for continued dynamic
engagement."

Through the power of audiovisual
experiences, 900 North Michigan Shops is
one of a growing number of retail spaces
that have evolved into a destination.

Content makes the moment.

Sound plays a big part in the mall's
transformation, too.

Let social media speak for itself.

Initial social media responses are positive
indicators that the digital transformation
of 900 North Michigan Shops validates
the strategy to draw people out of their
digital cocoons and into a real-world
experience that they want to share
and return to.

Branded content appears in the sky,
emerging from the clouds as simple
spirals that introduce brand names and
the floors where the stores are located.
There is also a dynamic system of beautiful kaleidoscopes, which can either be
made out of purely artistic elements, or
from brand and product elements
submitted by retailers within the space.

Initially, ESI Design created all of the
ceiling content, but the content management system (CMS) they designed,
developed by Float4, supports thirdparty content that can be easily
uploaded and scheduled.

everyone understand viewing angles,
perspectives and scale, and how design
decisions can affect the overall space."

Virtual reality delivers real benefits.
To design such an ambitious undertaking,
ESI Design leverages the power of virtual
reality. "We actually built the entire mall
in VR," says Schneider, "using VR goggles
as a way for both our design team and the
client to walk through the space."
ESI has used VR in previous projects.
Using in-house VR specialists, ESI can
move architectural models into a virtual
space quickly and map real-time media
in that space.
Schneider says, "I don't think that VR
totally supersedes a physical mock-up,
but what it does do very well is to help

AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated
Experience Association, is helping retail
designers create a more successful future
through the integration of compelling
audiovisual experiences. AVIXA represents
the $178 billion global commercial AV
industry and produces InfoComm trade
shows around the world.
For more information,
visit www.avixa.org/retailAV
http://www.avixa.org/retailAV
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of VMSD - February 2018
