The recently developed “The Portal” at One Union Square in downtown Seattle offers a digital moment of zen for visitors entering the building. The 180-degree art-filled entryway showcases iconic photography from around the Pacific Northwest, capturing the region’s natural beauty and built environment. The Portal features massive images on 248 high-resolution LED panels that provide an image resolution equivalent to 13K wide, offering sharpness and color from any angle around the entryway.
Conceived by building owner Washington Holdings and developed by Lightspeed Design, The Portal combines cutting-edge technology with artificial intelligence tools to create a dynamic and immersive experience for viewers. By utilizing artificial intelligence from tools such as Topaz Labs, the display can pan and scan across images with extreme detail, maintaining the integrity of the original photography as it is blown up to 13K resolution. Real-time simulations, such as sky and cloud formations, are also incorporated into the display to create a visually captivating experience.
The Portal serves as a visually stunning and immersive entryway for One Union Square, with its display constantly moving and changing to captivate viewers passing through. The display includes photographs, videos, and illustrations that showcase the region’s beauty, along with real-time simulations that accurately update based on Seattle’s exact day and time. The investment in upgrades to the tenant-facing spaces of One Union Square underscores Washington Holdings’ commitment to creating a unique and positive experience for building tenants and guests.
The display in The Portal does not include any sound, with credits to the artists and photographers displayed in the entryway. The visual content featured in The Portal is sourced from various organizations, including the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, NASA, MOHAI, Seattle Public Library, and the Space Needle. Through the integration of dynamic and captivating visuals, The Portal aims to create a moment of beauty and inspiration for those passing through the building, whether consciously or subconsciously.
The goal of The Portal, according to Washington Holdings CEO Craig Wrench, is to create a visual and unexpected moment within the building that moves tenants and guests in a positive way. The immersive display offers a unique blend of static and moving images, capturing a diverse range of subjects from the Blue Angels flying overhead to fireworks bursting over the Space Needle. As visitors pass through the display, they are encouraged to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the Pacific Northwest captured in the photographs and videos showcased in The Portal.
Overall, The Portal at One Union Square represents a creative and innovative use of technology and AI tools to create an immersive and visually captivating experience for visitors. Through a combination of high-resolution images, artificial intelligence, and real-time simulations, The Portal offers a unique and dynamic entryway that showcases the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the region’s natural and built environment. As visitors pass through The Portal, they are invited to take a moment to appreciate the stunning imagery and innovative display that serves as a digital moment of zen in the heart of downtown Seattle.
