Distinctive Attributes of GOAA’s Experiential Media Environment (EME) GOAA’s Experiential Media Environment (EME) is transformative in moving well beyond state-of-art media design to create three (3) one-of-a kind “mediums” that are unique to Orlando International, and by integrating architectural design, multi-media content and interactive technology to create unprecedented forms of immersive engagement.
The EME is both the largest immersive experience in any airport or public building in North America and a ground-breaking technical feat in the mix of engagement technologies introduced to enhance the passenger experience.
A World Class team The EME was designed by a world class team, comprised of 4 Florida-based companies and 4 Montreal based companies responsible for an array of destination defining projects throughout the world
MRA International Group, a renowned destination development consultancy responsible for over 60 large scale destination developments including work with 8 NFL stadiums, Disney, Universal, MGM International, LAX International, DFW International and others, was the EME project director and executive producer. (2015-present) Marcela Sardi, award-winning media feature designer (LAX International media experience, Liberty Center media experience, etc.), president of Sardi Design, was the Executive Creative Director of the EME Program and Media Designer for the 3 features (2015-present) Gentilhomme, a cutting-edge creative studio was selected through an international competition for interactive, live action, CGI and audio content creation for the 3 features; Gentilhomme also brought on several unique talents including Tom Fitz, world-renowned, Florida based, nature cinematographer (2020-present) Smart Monkeys, Inc (SMI) the premiere design and technology company for large scale multi-media control design and inventor of the industry transforming ISAAC platform developed the EME Control System (2016-present) SACO Technologies, renowned for its creative LED installations including the entire façade of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s largest tower and the Sphere in Las Vega, was the contractor for the execution of the complex 3-D media features (2019-present) Real Motion an interactive designer and product developer was responsible for the interactive content platform design (2020-present) Electrosonic Systems Inc. a leader in entertainment and cultural media environments was the integrator of the overall system (2021-present) Burns Engineering, a leading airport technology and engineering firm in the airport sector was project lead for all technologies across the South Terminal Complex and administered the EME project and provided engineering support (2015-present) Hahn Integrated Systems, a renowned systems consultancy responsible for technology systems integration and oversight, acted as the Owners Representative for EME technology implementation and coordination. (2015-present) Immersive Features as touchpoints for Passenger Engagement: ‘creating one-of-a-kind mediums for passenger immersion and engagement’ The design of the three media features began with 2 mandates:
to create a highly engaging and immersive media environment to give expression to the “Orlando Experience”, GOAA’s unique gate-to-curb passenger experience to integrate the media features within the terminal architecture as iconic touchpoints along the passenger journey The Portal designed as a symbolic gateway within the multi-level Arrival Hall the suspended 4-story helical truss supports a 360º surround of 32 curvilinear 4mm LED displays
The Portal acts as the symbolic gateway to the Orlando experience for all arriving passengers The Portal is one-of-a kind: a suspended 40 ton, 3-D media structure that appears to float over the space, and ranks as the largest 3 immersive media structure in any public space in North America The Portal’s distribution of displays is designed to be viewed from all vantage points and levels across the Arrival Hall as domestic and international passengers make their way through the vast multi-level atrium Content is played across the 32 curvilinear displays as a sequence of immersive canvases, each portraying a thematic treatment of places and experiences that are unique to Orlando and Central Florida The Portal presents two different forms of engagement, appearing as a 3-dimensional framework of floating images designed to invite exploration at the upper arrival level and as a cylindrical” memory vault” of travelers recollected images at the lower departure level Generative servers support the ability to create endless variations of future content The Moment Vault created as a center-point for the Palm Court, the main gathering place for departing passengers, the Moment Vault was designed as an interactive ‘media fountain’ that supports leisurely viewing from the exterior and interactive play within its interior.
The Moment Vault breaks new ground in 3-D interactivity with sensors programmed to support up to 30 participants as their avatars appear in immersive cinematic scenes created by Gentilhomme using the Epic Games Unreal Engine in unprecedented large-scale canvases The Moment Vault also features a “first” in its application of digital capture technology, in which real time images of participants become one with the content Sound design amplifies the sense of immersion within the interior, with hidden speakers below the fountain base creating surround sound The exterior displays, designed as morphing fountain walls, endlessly evolve as guests in adjacent seating areas relax prior to departure observing water walls that morph into a blossoming bougainvillea and then to a dense Florida fern wall Media walls were canted out by 7 degrees to elevate the sense of immersion and to reduce the impact of daylight Windows on Orlando designed to provide a dramatic first impression for arriving passengers and a send-off experience for departing guests, the 110-foot-long by 33-foot-high immersive media windows reveal panoramic vistas of Orlando and Central Florida
Horizontal immersion was achieved by Sardi Design by extending the width of the windows beyond the peripheral vision zone Wider than an Imax theater screen, the Windows support a full minute of viewing time for the transient guest in motion Deep 6-foot reveals add to the 3-D effect to support the impression that the observed scene is just beyond the terminal Transponders affixed to a glass balustrade provide an enchanting sound zone with the glass acting as the amplifier Content innovation included the creation of a trompe l’oiel effect to elevate the perception of depth further amplified by applying different speeds of motion in the foreground, midground and background of the scenes Control System Design: ‘the Wizard behind the curtain’ The Control System is built around the Isaac platform, unique in its ability to agnostically integrate diverse hardware and technologies, and to manage massive media loads:
The control system manages 91 million pixels of content, natively sourced with no scaling, distributed across 38 distinctly configured 4mm displays and 3 large scale curvilinear 2mm displays, vastly overshadowing the largest 4K display system on the planet at SoFi stadium in Los Angeles and nearly 4 times greater than the world’s largest billboard in Times Square Uncompressed media playback Wide color gamut (up to rec2020) with high frame rates (60fps and higher) 55 Gigabytes per second overall playback bandwidth High availability control and playback systems for enhanced performance dependability Management of integrated sensors and cameras to support interactive tracking and digital capture at unprecedented scale Content Design and Development: ‘bringing the media features to life’ Content design included a vast inventory of live action, CGI, generative, interactive, and real time digital capture to support distinct forms of engagement:
Live action shoots deploying multiple 8K cameras for massive panoramic rasters Perspective algorithm and shooting techniques developed to create deep 3D trompe o’leil effects for Windows on Orlando) Layered CGI effects and textures used to create architecturally realistic surfaces with dynamic movement Digital capture of guests within Moment Vault interior seamlessly posted into dynamic scenes within 360º surround using innovative mirror effects content Epic Games’ Unreal engine used to create 360-degree photorealistic interactive content at super high resolution Deployment of large-scale AI-based computer vision and 3D skeleton tracking to support up to 30 participants in interactive scenes maintaining tracking integrity Content designed to support rec2020 60fps playback Sound design with layered effects to support 360º surround within interior of Moment Vault Composed transitions with seamless alpha layer to support illusion of architectural surfaces opening to reveal scenes and canvasses applied to all features A 30-minute multi-media composition, entitled “Infinite Orlando”, serves as a capstone combining over 300 scenes of Orlando and Central Florida presented as an unfolding sequence of themes giving immersive expression to the “Orlando Experience” 
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