GKD Mediamesh Creates Dazzling Customer Experience for Worlds Third Largest Casino

July 13, 2013

Project: WinStar World Casino

Location: Thackerville, OK

Architect: Michael Huff, Chickasaw Nation

Customer: Chickasaw Nation

Completion Date: 2012

GKD Metal Fabrics Product: Mediamesh® V6xH5.0

Transparent media façade technology continues to evolve in tandem with LED innovation. GKD-USA, the leading full-service provider of woven metal fabrics and the inventor of GKD Mediamesh®, has just completed a Mediamesh® installation pioneering the use of state-of-the-art LEDs in a six-pixel cluster.

GKD Mediamesh® features a transparent metal mesh panel with embedded LED profiles, making it possible to show dynamic graphics on the entire surface of large facades and displaying brilliant image quality both day and night. Whether it is for high-resolution images, videos or live broadcasts, the configuration of the panel is determined by factors such as: the planned application, the location of the structure, the desired image resolution, and the unique specifications of the project and the customer. Image quality is determined by the viewing distance and the interplay between the horizontal and vertical distances between the pixels. The denser the alignment of the pixels, the higher the resolution and the more detailed the image display.

WinStar World Casino, operated by the Chickasaw Nation and located in Thackerville, OK on the Oklahoma-Texas border, is currently the world’s third largest casino and the first project in the world to use the six-pixel configuration. The 435,000-square-foot casino includes a 395-room hotel and a 3,000-seat Global Event Center. The casino’s name is reflected in its creative façade which pays homage to famous cities from around the world including New York, Cairo, Beijing and more.

The new four-story, 1,400-space parking garage harmoniously blends into the overall architectural picture. Besides featuring elements of the Parthenon, Guggenheim and the Chrysler Building, two semi-transparent GKD Mediamesh® screens are meant to draw traffic and attention from the nearby interstate. Fourteen mesh panels in total, each 12.85’ wide x 30’ long clad two stories of the parking garage on the north and northwest side of the building, strategically angled to be visible from both northbound and southbound traffic. Additionally, GKD expanded the vertical distance between the LED tubes.

In the new configuration, an additional LED is added creating a cluster of six instead of five. Incorporating an additional LED creates a brighter output level, which means less power is pumped to each pixel. This extends the life of the LED while realizing overall energy savings.

“When we were building the garage, we knew it would be the closest structure to the interstate and that we needed to put that surface to work,” said Michael Huff, Director/Lead Designer, Architectural Administration Division of Commerce, Chickasaw Nation. “The scale of the project dictated the scale of the message. It had to be big and bright. I noticed GKD Mediamesh® at [the American Institute of Architects National Convention & Design Expo] and thought it was, like a lot of new technology, the coolest thing I’d ever seen. But I quickly told myself that I’d never have the opportunity to use it on a project. Well, never say never.”

Huff discovered that Mediamesh® was an ideal solution for the casino garage. The transparent structure guarantees natural ventilation, a must for buildings such as parking garages which must ventilate car emissions. Negating the need for mechanical ventilation saves energy usage and cost. Additionally, the mesh is durable enough to withstand the extreme temperatures of Oklahoma winters and summers while self-cleaning properties lower costs for maintenance.

GKD’s dedicated design consultation team collaborated with Huff to develop the criteria and necessary specifications of the board, looking at details such as viewing distance from the nearby interstate, angle of the building in relation to the road and level of brightness needed to overcome daylight. Integrated LED profiles of the newest generation were arranged two inches apart vertically and 1.7” inches horizontally and ensure complete daylight suitability. Thus, moving images and sophisticated graphics are reproduced in superb quality. Due to virtually unlimited life, low power consumption and light sensors to control brightness, the system offers ultimate energy efficiency. At the same time, the transparent media façade functions as advertising and communication platform targeting commuters on I-35.

About the Commerce Division of the Chickasaw Nation

The Commerce Division of the Chickasaw Nation operates more than 50 businesses including: entertainment venues, hotels, radio stations, trading posts, travel plazas, restaurants and manufacturing facilities. Two of these businesses include Oklahoma’s largest and second largest gaming facilities; Riverwind Casino and WinStar World Casino. Riverwind Casino, located just south of Oklahoma City, OK, is offers more than 2,700 electronic games, 47 blackjack and poker tables and an off-track betting area 24/7. WinStar World Casino, located just north of the Oklahoma Texas border along I-35, offers 6,700 electronic games and 116 blackjack and poker tables. Both casinos present world-class entertainers and a wide-range of restaurants.