New Tom Bradley International Terminal  

More than 60 million travelers pass through LAX each year, making it one of the busiest airports on the planet. Los Angeles World Airports wanted to enhance their passengers’ experience by creating a memorable multimedia installation throughout the new Tom Bradley International Terminal.

The installation is composed of seven iconic media features that, while independent and modular, function as a cohesive whole. The creation of the media content required a combination of techniques including: 3d and 2d animation, illustration, graphic design, generative and interactive content, set design, cinema, performance and sound. The objective: to bring back the magic and romance of travel.

The most striking of the media features is the Time Tower, a 72-ft tall, four-sided LED tower that envelops the terminal’s main elevators. To get the most impact from this feature, the team designed photorealistic 3D trompe l’oeil content, creating the illusion of depth, texture and dimension. This content highlights the wrap around LED effect from various vantage points, under constantly changing lighting conditions.

The North and South Concourse Portals, are two identical features, each comprised of 10, 28-ft tall interactive - LCD columns. The visuals and their linked sound effects rotate on a schedule based on departing flights, while passengers bring to life the high resolution, 2D and 3D generative content evoking mosaic tiles, watery reflections, totem-like pillars and stringed instruments inspired by LAX destinations.

Similarly, the Destination Board displays flight information and atmospheric visual data for destination cities. Real time, generative content interprets weather data from destination cities and turns it into beautiful, organic abstractions that evoke wind, rain and topography.

By visualizing each animation via physical maquettes as well as 3D computer models, the multi-disciplinary team designed and produced a content inventory to achieve a seamless integration of content, technology and architecture.