Size matters. At least, when you’re knocking up the biggest billboard in Europe and the US. That’s exactly what BT’s done, wrapping the top of the BT Tower in London with a 360 degree LED display.
It’s more than just an advert though, the LED array is the biggest of its kind across Europe and the US, switched on today with a message counting down 1000 days to go until the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The LED display, which BT is dubbing an Information Band, is wrapped around the BT Tower’s 36 and 37th floors, a whopping 167 meters above street level. Built to withstand harsh British drizzle, and hurricane grade winds, it’s made up of 177 separate panels and packs in 177,000 pixels and 529,750 LEDs. In total, it stretches for over 280 square metres. That’s half the length of a football pitch.
Getting it to the top of the BT Tower wasn’t easy either. BT says it took 2,700 separate trips in the lift to transport it from the foot of the Tower to the very top, and 2.5 miles of power, lighting and electrical cable were needed to bring it to life.
The new display will be switched on during tomorrow night’s National Lottery programme, along with a pyrotechnics display that promises to turn the BT Tower into the world’s largest roman candle, as well as the largest LED billboard outside Japan. Cranked up to full power, we’re told the display is bright enough to be seen from the Moon, although BT won’t be running it at full pelt.
Check it out in our photo gallery, or take a squiz out of the window if you’re in central London – it’s pretty hard to miss!
Out now | £TBC | BT
