The Nightscreen-Gasometer is located in the south of Berlin. With an expanse of 660m² it is Europe’s biggest LED media facade. The LED net is attached to two top rings of the steel frame in an altitude of 80m, visible far beyond the Schöneberg district at nighttime. The orientation of the screen, operated by Megaposter, mainly is directed towards the city motorway interchange connected to the new regional and intercity railway station Berlin Südkreuz of the Berlin Circle Line (Ringbahn).

The listed Gasometer building is located in the Südkreuz area of the development programme “Urban Redevelopment Project West”, financed by the Federal and State governments. The steel construction can be seen from far away and is the landmark and striking symbol of the Schöneberg district. It is located in the former industrial estate of the Gasag among various railway tracks in the Rote Insel (Red Island) neighbourhood. The plan is to transform the Gasag-estate into a “European Energy Forum” with shops and office buildings, hotels, restaurants, a private university and a park.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rote_Insel
http://www.stadtumbau-berlin.de/Suedkreuz.1528.0.html

TECHNICAL POSSIBILITIES

Details are still being planned and will be announced soon. The screen wil be a 33m x 20m LED net, landscape format. Rasterisation of the screen will be 15 x 15 and generally DVDs will be played. Contents will be entered through a web interface by the operating company’s headquarter in Neuss. The night screen shall, if possible, be able to transmit contents simultaneously and in relation to the location. Digital facade resolution: 1024x 576 pixel

USAGE IN 2008

Currently, screening of 10 second advertising spots repeated every 2 minutes is planned. A maximum of 10 spots will be played in total. The condition by the district administration is that 20% of these spots must be of cultural content. The temporary test operation of this facility on 23 May 2007 was started with an advertisement for the current exhibition at the National Art Gallery.

MODEL AND MOTIVATION

3 million Euros are required for refurbishing the steel framework of the Gasometer. A glass cylinder is to be placed into this industrial monument and it is planned to become the central building of the “European Energy Forum”, with event and office space. Refurbishment is to be financed by advertising revenue of a fine 33m x 20m LED net. This will only be turned on after sunset and will not have any visual impact on the industrial monument during the day. It is to become Europe’s biggest “night screen” an “advertising star in the sky”.