Sculpt Dark Color – Silo

A portrait-format image of 24 × 27 metres in a 70-metre-high concrete shaft

VisualisationIndustryFree spatial study

Visualisation of a fictional space – not a realised project.

A decommissioned silo, 30 × 30 metres in plan and 70 metres high. On the north wall, “Perlenturm” from the Sculpt Dark Color series grows upwards – two projections one above the other, 24 × 27 metres.

The shaft is a pure concrete space, articulated by ring beams every ten metres. On the south wall, two platforms cantilever out at heights of 15 and 30 metres, both with parapets; from there, one faces the work at half its height or looks steeply down to the bottom. The portrait format is created from two landscape images one above the other, with the bottom edge at five metres.

Visitors stand at the bottom of the shaft and on the platforms. Above them, the tower fades into darkness – the space becomes a vertical, the image its backbone.

Technical details

What it takes to build this space: dimensions, equipment, brightness.

Upper row: One image position with two Barco QDX-4K45 projectors stacked in exact alignment (R9862001 TLD+ 90° ST lens (0.65-0.85), 0.67-0.88 on the QDX-4K, 45,000 lumens each), hung from cross trusses. The image measures 24.00 × 13.50 m with its bottom edge at 18.50 m; the throw distance is 20.10 m (throw ratio 0.84:1, lens shift -54% vertical). Calculated luminance on the wall with stacking: approx. 88 cd/m².

Lower row: One image position with two Barco QDX-4K45 projectors stacked in exact alignment (R9801414 TLD+ lens (0.8-1.16), 0.86-1.25 on the QDX-4K, 45,000 lumens each), placed on floor stands. The image measures 24.00 × 13.50 m with its bottom edge at 5.00 m; the throw distance is 24.18 m (throw ratio 1.01:1, lens shift 83% vertical). Calculated luminance on the wall with stacking: approx. 88 cd/m².

Alternatives, price range and all dimensions per device are listed in the equipment list; floor plan, section and axonometric view show the projection cones.

Room

The room of the scenario and how the images are placed in it.

Room: decommissioned concrete silo with platforms at 15 and 30 m
Configuration: two landscape images one above the other (portrait format)
Visitors (approx.): 90

Room	Width	Depth	Height
Silo	30 m	30 m	70 m
Platform 15 m	24 m	6 m	10 m
Platform 30 m	18 m	5 m	10 m

Projection

How the images are created: equipment, image size, distance and mounting.

2 × Projector · Upper row

24 m × 13.5 m per image

Stacking: 2 projectors per image, precisely aligned
Bottom edge: 18.5 m
Distance: 20.1 m
Throw ratio: 0.84 : 1
Lens shift: -54 % vertical
Mounting: on the truss

2 × Projector · Lower row

24 m × 13.5 m per image

Stacking: 2 projectors per image, precisely aligned
Bottom edge: 5 m
Distance: 24.18 m
Throw ratio: 1.01 : 1
Lens shift: 83 % vertical
Mounting: on a stand

All partial images belong to one picture – one computer outputs them simultaneously and frame-accurately.

Real time and interaction

The film shows a recording. In the installation the work is computed live – and can respond to the space and its visitors.

Computation: live, in real time, on a high-end computer with a powerful 3D graphics card, NVIDIA RTX 4070 or higher; with many image surfaces also with several graphics cards
Output: all projectors in a room from one computer, as coordinated zones rather than separate videos
Interaction: 3D LiDAR scanners capture people and movement in the space; the work can respond to them
Fitting: mapping to the actual architecture – edges, columns, ceilings and floors

Brightness

Whether the image will be bright enough: luminance achieved against the target value. The line in the bar marks the target value.

4 × Barco QDX-4K45bright enough

Luminance: 88 cd/m²
Target value: 60 cd/m²
required luminous flux: 79,394 lm
Luminous flux: 2 × 45,000 lm

Equipment

The reference devices used for the calculations. Devices of the same class are equally suitable.

Barco QDX-4K45

Lens: R9862001 TLD+ 90 Grad ST (0.65-0.85), am QDX-4K 0,67-0,88
Luminous flux: 2 × 45,000 lm
Weight: 77.5 kg

Alternatives (3)

Model	Lens	Luminous flux	Luminance
Barco UDX-4K40 FLEX	R9862001 TLD+ 90 Grad ST (0.65-0.85), am UDX-4K 0,72-0,94	2 × 40,000 lm	79 cd/m²
Panasonic PT-RQ35K2	ET-D3LEW300 (Weitwinkel-Zoom)	3 × 30,500 lm	90 cd/m²
Panasonic PT-RQ35K2	ET-D3LEW200 / ET-D3LEW201 (Kurzdistanz-Zoom)	3 × 30,500 lm	90 cd/m²

Barco QDX-4K45

Lens: R9801414 TLD+ (0.8-1.16), am QDX-4K 0,86-1,25
Luminous flux: 2 × 45,000 lm
Weight: 77.5 kg

Alternatives (3)

Model	Lens	Luminous flux	Luminance
Barco UDX-4K40 FLEX	R9801414 TLD+ (0.8-1.16), am UDX-4K 0,92-1,33	2 × 40,000 lm	79 cd/m²
Panasonic PT-RQ35K2	ET-D3LEW600 (Weitwinkel-Zoom)	3 × 30,500 lm	90 cd/m²
Panasonic PT-RQ35K2	ET-D3LEW60 / ET-D75LE6 (Weitwinkel-Zoom)	3 × 30,500 lm	90 cd/m²

Price range and equipment list on request.

Drawings

Axonometric view, floor plan and section show the space and the projection cones.

Sculpt Dark Color – Silo — Axonometric view — **Axonometric view** · not to scale

Sculpt Dark Color – Silo — Floor plan — **Floor plan**

Sculpt Dark Color – Silo — Section — **Section** · not to scale

Glossary

Real time: The image is recomputed at every moment, about 60 times per second, instead of being played back as a finished video.
3D LiDAR scanner: Scans the space with laser light and captures people and movement in three dimensions – the basis of the interaction.
High-end computer: A computer with a powerful 3D graphics card – NVIDIA RTX 4070 or higher – that computes the image live and drives all projectors at once.
Mapping: Fits the projection to the actual geometry of the space so that image and architecture meet exactly.
Throw ratio: Distance divided by image width. At 0.8 : 1, the projector for an image 6 m wide stands 4.8 m away.
Lens shift: Shifts the image within the lens without tilting the projector – so it stays rectangular.
Luminous flux: How much light the projector emits, in lumens.
Luminance: How bright the image surface appears to the eye, in candelas per square metre. In a dark room, about 60 is enough.
Bottom edge: The height of the bottom edge of the image above the floor.
Stacking: Several projectors cast the same image exactly on top of each other. Their light adds up – so even very large surfaces become bright enough.
Synchronised output: Several projectors show parts of the same image; one computer outputs them simultaneously – computed live or as video.