Walking in a Winter Wonderland
If there ever was a year when we needed a truly spectacular winter wonderland, 2020 was it. GES engaged 3dx to create “Winter Wonderlights,” an immersive winter display featuring LED neon wireframe animals, stone-finished dinosaurs, a wireframe tree, and a “Dancing Fountains” lighting display at the Greensboro Science Center.
The wireframe animals use custom bent steel rods and LED neon lighting to create a woodland animal display. The stone dinosaurs were created with layered exterior grade plywood with inset white acrylic and given a “rusted concrete finish.”
The 18-foot-tall Christmas tree consists of a simplified steel pipe frame and wire-rope lighting strings. The tree stands prominently in the central fountain of the water feature, which consists of three identical steel pipe structures designed to emulate water moving through the air.
To build the “Dancing Fountains” display, we created 3D models for fabrication and engineering. We then used these models to produce custom plate steel mounting plates, welding templates, and bend patterns.
It wouldn’t be 2020 without a challenge or two. The pandemic created a shortage of acrylic, but the 3dx team quickly devised a clever solution that ensured limited acrylic availability would have a minimal impact on the project.
The installation was completed a day early and involved only our two installers and one additional on-site laborer. During the studio visit, the client representative was very pleased and noted that 3dx was very easy to work with and had more to show them than they expected.
The final result far exceeded client expectations, and visitors to the Greensboro Science Center were able to experience some holiday magic at a time when we needed it most.