Print Week October 2008
Killer app… The Monument building wrap
WHAT A giant lifelike print of the exterior of historic London landmark The Monument to The Great Fire of London, hiding restoration works taking place on the building.
WHO The building wrap was printed by Weybridge-based super-large-format firm Pyramid Visuals.
WHERE The Monument is a 61m-tall structure located in the City of London. It stands exactly 61m from Pudding Lane, where the fire of London is believed to have started in 1666.
HOW Before creating the artwork, Pyramid Visuals took high-resolution photographs of the structure capturing it at all angles, which were then printed on a mesh-material with high tear resistance. Four of these were produced on an HP Scitex 1500 and joined using a hot-air welder. The sky scene was artificially imposed by the print firm.
WOW As the building represents a momentous point in the history of London, it was important the print looked realistic as tourists continue to visit the site while The Monument is being worked on. The wrap was attached to the scaffolding by a team of abseilers who had to match up the four sides precisely to create a lifelike image. Detailed assessments of weather conditions were needed, which showed that the wrap couldn’t be attached to the top of The Monument as the strong winds in the area would cause a vortex
http://www.printweek.com/news/856679/Killer-app-Monument-building-wrap/