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Reunion Tower Enhance Your View

Overview

In a partnership with Gensler I was the lead interaction designer on a project to refresh the Reunion Tower in Dallas, Texas. The tower redesign had a vision to create a digitally-enhance interactive environment spanning two separate floors.

 

Inside the GeO-Deck observation level visitors get thier first view of the wide expanse of the Texas landscape. As lead interaction designer I helped design a reactive and interactive experience for a 15 display ribbon know as the Halo, which was a massive 60ft wide interactive surface. The design features a generative background system which reacts as visitors walk around the observation level and pulls up a menu system without any interaction from the visitor. A large variety of applications where designed to Enhance Your View and put interactive information about the visitor’s view at their fingertips. The entire system was designed around a custom 3D model of Dallas and includes landmarks, a highly interactive giga-pixel panorama, controllable HD cameras mounted outside of the tower, custom curated maps, a video about the JFK assassination (which occurred very close to the tower), and a interactive simulation of the tower’s famous light shows. Each individual display in both of the two halos was customized and calibrated to the actual outside viewing position.

Just one floor up is a bar and lounge which features a digital installation on the ceiling named Big Sky. This installation utilizes custom built abstract metal clouds, dynamically controlled lighting, and 17 screens showing one massive abstract weather simulation. Looking up visitors can experience a real-time simulation of the various, and sometimes powerful, weather around the Dallas area. This simulation is married seamlessly to the architecture and design of the bar and lounge. As the bar and lounge rotates various weather patterns are displayed and colorful lighting is changed to suite making each moment unique and wonderful.