Overview

Bigxels is a way of turning an ordinary skyscraper or office building into a computer display. Since windows in these buildings are organized in a grid — just like the little points (or "pixels") that make up an image on a computer screen — we can use them to make pictures in the same way: by changing their color and intensity.

Photo: Dorit Günter, Nadja Hannaske, Project Blinkenlights

Some people did this in 2001, in Berlin, Germany. Unfortunately, the way they lit up the buildings was expensive, complex and intrusive. Bigxels provides a way of doing the same thing, but requires only a fraction of the cost and effort.

How it works

A Bigxels installation works by placing a single small device called a "node" against the inside of each window on the front of a building, and connecting it to a computer network. Almost all modern office buildings have computer networks built in, so Bigxels can simply piggyback on the existing network. The nodes contain lights called Nakamura LEDs, which are bright enough to light up a window at night but require much less power and space than normal floodlamps.

A central computer controls the nodes over the network using special software that translates images and text made of hundreds of pixels into instructions for each node. When the computer displays an image or plays an animation, all the nodes light up in concert so people outside can see it.