Cleveland Museum of Art Lobby Wall

The Cleveland Museum of Art’s Breuer Building renovation called for a centerpiece digital signage system: a LED wall spanning 20 feet of the historic lobby, welcoming visitors while showcasing the museum’s renowned collection.

Technical Specifications

At the ultra-wide 3840x1296 resolution, we needed to optimize for performance while maintaining visual fidelity across multiple viewing distances—from across the lobby to up close. Unity provided the real-time rendering capabilities needed for smooth animations, custom shaders, and threaded video playback.

Development Challenges

Scale and Performance

Rendering hundreds of high-quality images and videos at this resolution required careful optimization. We implemented efficient texture caching and streaming to maintain 60fps performance.

Content Management Integration

The system pulls exhibition data, events, and artwork information from the museum’s Drupal backend using Launchpad, our in-house FOSS media installation tool.

Editorial Control

Rather than rendering 3D assets in real-time, we developed a pipeline where 3D content is pre-rendered as transparent video files. This approach provides complete editorial control over the final presentation while maintaining performance.

Integration Success

The system seamlessly integrates with the museum’s existing digital infrastructure. Content editors work within their familiar Drupal interface, while Launchpad handles the data pipeline to the Unity application.

This integration ensures complete content consistency—exhibitions featured on the museum’s website automatically appear on the lobby signage with matching imagery, descriptions, and scheduling information. Event programming, tour details, and special announcements flow from the same content management system that powers their web presence.

The unified approach eliminates duplicate content entry and ensures visitors receive consistent information whether they’re browsing online or standing in the lobby. QR codes generated for each piece of content create seamless transitions between physical and digital engagement.

Impact

The lobby wall transforms the visitor experience from entry, combining scheduled content updates with engaging visual presentations. The technical foundation maintains reliability in a high-traffic public space while supporting the museum’s evolving digital strategy.

Images and videos courtesy of Bluecadet.