London’s Olympic Countdown Begins with a Big Bang (and LEDs)

BT, a global-communications-services company, has installed a supersized electronic information screen at the top of the iconic BT Tower in London. The 360° LED screen comprises 177 Martin Professional LC Plus Series LED panels. The 529,750 LEDs are encased in vertical tubes, with spaces between them.
The display, reportedly the largest in Europe and Asia, measures more than 3,014 sq. ft. (280 sq. meters), with a 194-ft. (59-meter) circumference. Its purpose? To count down the days before London hosts the 2012 Olympics.
The array was switched on for the first time on October 31, with fireworks and a message to celebrate 1,000 days to go to the Games. The information band is made up of 177 separate panels and consists of 177,000 pixels and 529,750 LEDs. The LEDs are in vertical tubes, with space in between.
Installation of the 3.6-ton display was a “marathon” effort. According to BT, it took 2,700 separate elevator trips to transport materials to the top of the tower, and more than seven miles of scaffolding. Also, 2.5 miles of power, lighting and electrical cables supply power.
A total of 114 construction workers and engineers worked on the project, which will reside between the BT Tower’s 36th and 37th floors until the Olympics occur.
The landmark tower was opened in 1965 by Harold Wilson, after taking four years to build.
It has been fully tested at the Jules Verne climatic wind tunnel in Nantes, France, for combined climatic effects, including wind speeds of up to 1.5 times a hurricane force, as well as rain, snow and high temperatures.
Martin designed, supplied and installed the custom solution in cooperation with Imagination Europe Ltd. Imagination served as the main contractor and content provider.