Home / Projects / China Merchants Shekou Folding Wall

ProjectDelivered June 2023Shenzhen, ChinaCorporate developmentIndoor

Eight columns that open a wall into a reveal

A folding and opening LED wall at China Merchants Shekou in Shenzhen — eight display columns that travel apart to reveal what is behind them, then close back into one continuous canvas.

The brief: a wall that has to disappear on cue

An opening LED wall does two jobs that pull against each other. Closed, it has to read as a single uninterrupted display — no visible column seams, no hint that it is eight separate assemblies. Open, it has to clear the space completely and predictably, on cue, without the audience watching a mechanism struggle.

Most of the engineering effort goes into the first requirement. Anyone can move eight columns apart; making them close back into a surface that looks like it was never divided is the harder problem.

What was engineered

Rail layout and travel

Multiple displays open and close along straight or curved rails to reveal content or form a continuous canvas. Rail geometry is set by the opening width the space needs and by where the columns can park when open — the parked position is a real constraint, not an afterthought.

Independent path control with anti-collision logic

Each column is independently driven, which is what allows staged openings rather than a single symmetrical split. Independent paths also make collision a real possibility, so anti-collision logic sits in the control layer rather than being handled by mechanical stops alone.

The closed-state seam

Column alignment in the closed position determines whether the wall reads as one display. Repeatable end positions matter here for the same reason they matter on any staged reveal: the wall closes many times over its life, and it has to close identically every time.

Control integration

The motion system supports manual operation, motion synchronised with media, and TCP or UDP control integration — so the wall can be run by a venue operator or driven directly by the content system depending on how the space is programmed.

Why an opening wall instead of a lifting one

Vertical motion needs headroom and a place for the screen to go. Horizontal opening needs width and parking space at the sides. Which one is right is almost always decided by the building rather than by preference — and in an interior with a fixed ceiling, opening sideways is frequently the only motion available.

Delivery

The rail, servo, safety and interface package is configured around the project rather than selected from a fixed catalogue, and behaviour is reviewed before the system leaves the factory.

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