LED glass has taken hold in southeast Asia and is now making its way into the American mainstream markets. This advanced technology integrates tiny LEDs into glass that are essentially invisible to the naked eye. When turned on, they can display videos, logos, or any other image to people walking by. Think of it as the next iteration of marketing where companies and buildings can literally shout their message from the rooftops. Find out how and where this technology is being utilized, as well as the potential impacts LED glass can have in the real estate industry.
What is LED glass?
LED glass, also known as media glass or electroluminescent glass, has transparent LED lights embedded in it. The glass itself is a laminated safety glass that is waterproof as well as UV resistant and can be used indoors or out, and otherwise functions exactly like normal glass you see used for windows on a regular basis. What sets it apart from normal glass is its ability to display images. Millions of tiny led lights are embedded in the glass, which can be programmed to create an image just like you might find on an electronic billboard. LED glass can display either static or video images so that the clear glass becomes the picture when turned on.
What types of real estate are using LED glass?
LED glass is primarily used for commercial real estate applications because of its primary use, for marketing and displaying information or pictures. Some choose to make magnificent artistic displays for a museum entrance or major hotel, while others can use it to promote sales, products, logos, or other marketing images and videos. It can be utilized for exterior building windows, interior glass displays like escalators or storefronts, and even display cases for products.
One of the major limitations of LED glass is that it needs dark conditions to work properly, like in an indoor setting or at night. Also, the images are seen best from a hundred or so feet away, not up close. This makes them best suited for large spaces, upper stories of buildings, or grand entrances. Think of places like hotels, museums, large malls, or lobbies — not so much smaller spaces like a strip mall where people are walking by in close quarters.
What impact will LED glass have?
LED glass is essentially an eco-friendly billboard. There are 25 million square meters or about 10,000 tons of billboard fabric wasted every year in the United States alone. If some of this marketing effort is transitioned to LED glass, the impact could be substantial. LED lights are also very energy efficient, making this a responsible way to market products when energy consciousness is so highly valued in today’s marketplace.
By installing LED glass, you have the advantage of claiming a green building practice, an appealing benefit for eco-conscious tenants. You can also include it as a value-added feature to attract potential tenants. For instance, many tenants will be interested in having the option to use LED glass for marketing purposes without incurring the typical costs of large-scale marketing. LED glass is the next advancement in marketing and will soon be a commonplace feature in many commercial buildings.