Landscape Architect Articles

Those Dynamic Structures in Downtown Winnipeg? Just Call Them 'Funnelators'04-05-16 | Feature

Those Dynamic Structures in Downtown Winnipeg? Just Call Them 'Funnelators'
edited by Steve Kelly, LASN

Winnipeg's first "Dynamic District Marker" or "Funnelator" was erected on the corner of Donald Street and Graham Avenue next to the Millennium Library in the heart of the 11-block Sports, Hospitality and Entertainment District (SHED). The Funnelator is a 24.5' tall sculptural landmark with fully programmable, digital video and lighting capabilities. As the district gets built out, more Funnelators are planned.

Downtown Winnipeg's 11-block Sports, Hospitality, and Entertainment District (SHED) is undergoing a $1.4 billion building expansion and streetscape revival. The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and the CentreVenture Development Corporation, the city's downtown development agency, want more people to take up residence in the downtown. Only about 17,000 people live downtown now, but the city fathers hope to attract thousands more. Toward that goal, two residential towers, a 30-story tower and a 42-story skyscraper are being built. The expectation is that new property tax revenue over the next 5 years will bring in $25 million. Those tax monies will be reinvested into the district.

Included in the $1.4 billion outlay is Centrepoint, a new 20-story, 200,000 square foot signature downtown tower that covers one city block. It includes a 154-room hotel, two restaurants with patios on the main floor, four floors of 'Class A' office space and a 400+ stall parking garage, or as they say in Winnipeg, a "parkade." The $1.4 billion is also going toward expanding the convention center and the MTS Centre, an entertainment venue and indoor sports arena (home of the Winnipeg Jets), and building a new police headquarters.

The city is also revitalizing the streetscape by reducing driving lanes; widening the sidewalks; adding signage; updating the lighting; incorporating green space; erecting sculptures; and building a pedestrian plaza in the center of the district. Stantec reports it is "designing the signature elements," which include paving materials, custom street lighting and signage.

CREO Industrial Arts has fabricated a number of custom streetscape elements: decorative light poles with backlit signage blades, and large outdoor media display"?uthe "Funnelator." Stantec ViBe in Boulder, Colorado, worked in close collaboration with Stantec Winnipeg, and Russ Roberts and his team at CREO Industrial Arts in Seattle, who fabricated, tested and installed the prototype "Dynamic District Marker" or "Funnelator" on the corner of Donald Street and Graham Avenue next to the Millennium Library in the heart of the district. The Funnelator is a 24'-6" tall sculptural landmark with fully programmable, digital video and lighting capabilities. It can display generated or broadcast content from the numerous cultural and entertainment institutions located in the district.

The Funnelator can display multimedia or broadcast content. From its steel base arises a framework of 2.5" schedule steel piping that seats a translucent composite fiberglass cone. The structure incorporates 790 2-foot long 3-in-1 RBG LED light strips. The programmable RGB lighting offers myriad color possibilities, all controlled remotely via CAT5 cabling. The tip of each of the steel pipes terminates in an acrylic lens with internal LEDs. The lighting design is by Sansi North America. The creation of this dynamic structure is the initiative of the CentreVenture Development Corp., which is also responsible for operating it. CREO Industrial Arts of Seattle fabricated the Funnelator.

Specifications of the Prototype Dynamic District Marker (Funnelator)
Height: 24'-6"
Width (diameter): 22'
Weight: 8,220 lbs.

Lighting
• Internal, programmable RGB lighting, with remote controls by CAT5 cabling.
• 790 pieces, 24" long, 3-in-1 RGB LED light strips.
• Brightness: 5000 nits. "Nit" is a unit of visible-light intensity commonly used to specify the brightness of a liquid crystal display (LCD). One nit is equivalent to one candela (formerly called candlepower) per square meter. Most indoor LCD displays are 300 to 350 nits. A LCD in the middle of a plaza or facing west must be at least 700 nits to appear bright and readable in direct sunlight. A dramatic difference in lighting intensity is observed between the 400 to 700 nits threshold. There's not a big observable difference, for instance, between 700 nits and 2,000 nits. The units do not indicate a direct ratio, that is, 2,000 nits are not almost three times brighter that 700 nits. According to Corporate Tech Decision, 2,000-nit screens are "high brightness" displays. A 5,000 nits display is "ultra extreme" brightness. These have dimmers that automatically reduce the screen's brightness at night to levels that are more comfortable to the eye.
• 49 power boxes (controllers) on 6 circuits.
• 10,000 watts, drawing 52 amps on an 80 amp main breaker.

Construction Details
• 2 ½" schedule 40 rolled steel pipe, spliced and welded with powder coat finish. Fabricated in sections and assembled on site.
• Intermittent perforated powder coated aluminum panels, with varying percentage of open area.
• Anchored to a concrete foundation, 4'-6" dia. by 9'-6" deep.
• Translucent composite fiberglass inner cone to diffuse lighting.

Project Team
Client: Centre Venture
Owner: City of Winnipeg
Designer: Stantec ViBE in Boulder, Colorado
Fabricator/Installation: CREO Industrial Arts
Lighting: S.N.A. LLC (Sansi North America)

As seen in LASN magazine, April 2016.