Smart City starts just as you enter the town. In Bremgarten AG, we have installed and put into operation a total of five digital pillars. Bremgarten tourist board launched this innovative project back in 2015, drew up a concept on behalf of the town council, and then handed it over to the town authorities for implementation in 2017. The pioneering project has had a long journey through the authorities and official channels, but the result is well worth it.
It took just over a year from Richnerstutz receiving the project enquiry from Bremgarten town authorities up to its actual implementation, as it was necessary to jointly obtain authorisation from the canton. This was followed by a number of exciting steps in its construction, ranging from on-site visits, initial draft visualisations, technical clarifications and further rounds of visualisations up to the creation of a comprehensive implementation dossier and final submission of the application for cantonal approval. Bremgarten's municipal administration impressed the cantonal authorities with the jointly created project, and was awarded the contract following several successful rounds of negotiations.
The pillars are 2.6 m high and 1.2 m wide, each being flanked by a 3.6 m image of the Spittelturm tower – Bremgarten’s main landmark. This additional design element was developed in collaboration with the graphics department of Bremgarten municipality and the agency Atelier Spalinger, and provides an visual link between the free-standing outdoor pillars as the carrier element and the display. Passers-by thus see a visually coordinated overall picture with a high recognition value.
The 75-inch screens integrated into the outdoor pillars are 3000 cd/m2 bright LCD displays that adapt their brightness automatically to suit the ambient light, so as not to dazzle drivers at night and to save energy. The content will include the activities of clubs and associations, which Bremgarten's municipal administration can publish easily and independently thanks to the PlayEverywhere software developed in-house by Richnerstutz. This makes communication a pleasure, as cultural events no longer have to be advertised using printed posters, banners and other installations. It also saves time and costs.
The entire system is literally a heavyweight, coming in at around 450 kg. To ensure smooth operation, the pillars have a sophisticated monitoring system that allows Richnerstutz to read off key figures such as cooling-fan rotation speed, inside and outside temperatures, ambient light and screen brightness, air humidity and so on. They can also be restarted remotely.
