The mission of the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington, DC, is to preserve the legacy of President Ronald Reagan and proactively promote his ideals, vision, and leadership example through youth education and academic alliances, scholarly work, and substantive, issue-driven forums. Recognizing the importance of technology for achieving that mission, foundation leaders had LED video walls installed as part of the build out of its new office near the White House.
Technology consultant Cerami developed a full-facility AV design, and partnered with AV integrator Design & Integration (DI) to bring a turnkey technology solution to the space. Display systems and other equipment were installed throughout the renovated facility, highlighted by Planar LED video walls.
The center attraction of the new Reagan Institute is a 14-foot-wide, 19-foot-high Planar TVF Series LED video wall with a 1.8mm pixel pitch that is integrated in the ground floor lobby. Visible from the street, the video wall offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about Reagan through enhanced interaction. Using a handheld interactive touchpanel linked to the video wall, people can explore a range of content about the 40th president including imagery, feature videos, and footage of his time in office.
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“Our foundation had ambitious goals for the Reagan Institute,” said Roger Zakheim, institute director. “We wanted best-in-class technology, best-in-class design to maximize the experience for anybody who sets foot in the Reagan Institute. Our mission is to promote Ronald Reagan’s legacy—not to just learn about the past, but to understand how those principles, ideas, and values have relevance today. And one of the ways we can achieve that is through the technology and engagement with the video wall.”
DI, which also acted as the content developer for the project, worked with footage from the 1980s to produce imagery and videos that would align with the video wall’s resolution and look great on the screen.
“The video wall is designed to be inviting to people who are walking down the street—they can stroll into the building and engage with the legacy of Ronald Reagan through an experience that is user friendly and very immersive,” explained Brad Phipps, DI director of field operations. “Our content team still actively works with the Reagan Institute to create content in-house, which is then sent through a network connection directly to a content player at the institute and onto the video wall.”
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On the second floor, the Reagan Institute built a multipurpose room equipped with a live production suite, videoconferencing system, and two Planar TVF Series LED video walls, each more than five feet high and nearly 10-feet wide. The room, which includes a stage and podium, is a flexible space to host a range of activities, including live broadcasts, streaming programs, and both in-person and virtual events.
Phipps said the Planar TVF Series LED video wall provides versatility both in terms of its uses and for its potential to fit within different spaces. “From an architectural standpoint, the aesthetic quality of the video wall makes for a seamless look,” he said. “The elements that accompany it and how it integrates make for a great finished product.”
