Clarity Matrix Biowall is Centerpiece of Public Space
United Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of unique products to address the unmet medical needs of patients with chronic and life-threatening conditions. In 2010, the company received approval from Montgomery County Parks and Planning Commission to expand its campus, a decision United Therapeutics met with a commitment to include a gathering spot on the grounds that the public could freely access and enjoy for the purposes of relaxation, reflection and enlightenment.
Depicting the beauty of the world in stunning imagery
In keeping with its focus on innovation and its support for sustainability, United Therapeutics designed the space as a courtyard facing a 144 square-foot video wall housed within one of the campus buildings. Located behind a massive glass window, the Clarity™ Matrix LCD Video Wall, from Planar Systems, is one of the most technically-advanced of its type. It is an electronic canvas, which United Therapeutics calls The BioWall. It depicts the beauty of the world, showcasing an ever-changing selection of nature, science and art videos collected from all over the world. It has been operating 24 hours a day, year round since it was launched on Earth Day 2012.
"The BioWall is our gift to the community. Planar's technology allows it to be a great piece of moving art that beautifully shows our world in all its forms and in a manner that is calming, serene, even inspirational. It is viewed by individuals and groups of all sizes, and we are very pleased to be able to provide it," says Avi Halpert, Vice President of Corporate Real Estate for United Therapeutics.
Accommodating demanding installation and architectural requirements
United Therapeutics initially researched various video wall technologies and found none that satisfied the unique requirements of the BioWall. They turned to their audio-visual partner, Avitecture, Inc. (Sterling, Virginia), who recommended the Clarity Matrix MX55 for the project and subsequently installed the four-wide-by-four-high BioWall array. Avitecture's Bill Apter (Senior Consultant-Special Projects) says "Clarity Matrix was right for the project primarily because it would accommodate the constrained space available for the wall and could meet the stringent weight limits that were imposed by the method by which the video wall needed to be mounted. No other video wall on the market was designed with these essential characteristics.
The BioWall is suspended directly behind the building's exterior glass wall and in front of a busy, narrow interior corridor. Its shallow depth was a critical factor as the corridor could not be impeded by the BioWall support structure. The lightweight panels made it possible to mount the entire video wall on a custom-built frame that is suspended from two tracks attached to the ceiling. This design eliminated the need for any floor structure, keeping the public corridor free from any obstruction. The entire 16' x 9' Matrix video wall slides back and forth on a trolley to allow service access. Apter said that the Clarity Matrix's sub-four-inch total mounted depth and 59-pound panel weight were critical to the successful design. Both factors reflect a unique engineering feature of Clarity Matrix: an off-board electronics design that allows the Matrix controllers and power supplies to be located away from the video wall, in the basement rack room below the BioWall.
"The excellent design of Planar's EasyAxis™ Mounting System allowed our technicians to access the video wall wiring from the front of the wall during installation and to properly align the 16 panels. Another key benefit of the off-board electronics is that it removed heat-generating components from the video wall that could cause failures and would also require additional cooling in the public corridor." The end result is a dramatic public art display. The Clarity Matrix's edge-to-edge glass panels with 5.5 mm tiled bezel width provide a near seamless image when viewed from the beautiful plaza that United Therapeutics has created to showcase the BioWall.
The BioWall depicts content – some of which approaches cinematic quality – provided by professional and amateur videographers from around the world. The constant input of content is managed by Randy Scope, Director of Content Procurement for United Therapeutics. "Since we are trying to use the most interesting, dramatic and high quality video, the video wall has to depict it in optimal fashion. With Clarity Matrix, the picture is bright, crisp and perfectly color saturated and balanced, and even when viewed close-up, there is no pixilation whatsoever. Many people have told us it's amazing."
Incorporating unique and critical engineering features
A number of engineering features come together to make this image quality possible. Notable among these are Clarity Matrix's full HD resolution, 800-nit brightness, 3500:1 contrast ratio, and backlight control. But a display is only as good as it is reliable. Planar ensures this reliability by providing a commercial-grade direct view LCD panel, a 50,000-hour backlight life, and a number of built-in diagnostics, monitoring and alert capabilities. "The most important aspect of the Clarity Matrix BioWall is that the public sees what it believes is a single pane of gorgeous imagery and they can enjoy it 24 hours a day, year-round. For United Therapeutics, the added benefit is that the video wall is incredibly dependable and delivers the performance and cost of ownership that we wanted for this project," Halpert adds.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
