Lewis CaliburnThe iconic landmarks of Nieuwe Kerk and Oude Kerk in Delft, sitting between the city’s two oldest canals, draw a steady stream of visitors throughout the year, comprising both locals and tourists eager to delve into their unique, rich cultural and historical legacy.
With a vision to enhance the visitor experience and streamline the communication of information at the entrance, the church management sought the expertise of creative agency DKLV who subsequently chose Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Displays from Peerless-AV.
Celebrated as significant monuments in the Delft skyline, the origins of the Oude Kerk at the Heilige Geestkerkhof go back to 1246 (13th Century) and Nieuwe Kerk on Markt Square to 1381 (14th Century) are open for worship services on Sundays and on weekdays invite visitors to uncover their intricate interiors and delve into the stories of some iconic people from the past buried there.
For example, Johannes Vermeer is buried in the Oude Kerk, as well as Piet Hein, a famous Dutch naval hero At the Nieuwe Kerk, the mausoleum of William of Orange is perhaps the biggest crowd puller.
With so much to learn and explore at both churches, the ticket office and information desk naturally manage a lot of enquiries, including guiding tourists interested in climbing the new church tower and providing information about exhibitions and upcoming events.
During the summer season there is usually a big queue to enter, and staff face the challenge of being able to inform the waiting crowds in a timely, efficient manner. Additionally, Delft is known for its unpredictable weather, with bright sunny days often followed by sudden bouts of rain, snow and breezy winds.
Conversations around outdoor information and wayfinding signage began in February 2023 when Christoph van der Bij, Owner at DKLV was introduced to Sven Krijgsman from digital signage specialists Duovizion international B.V. Leveraging their combined expertise, they proposed a solution that would both harmonise with the house of worship ambience whilst honouring the historical architecture.
Collaborating on-site, they were joined by digital legacy specialist Wouter van der Toorn from the Oude and Nieuwe Kerk. Together, they conducted surveys, reviewed structural considerations, and addressed external factors, including exposure to the public, in and out of opening hours, and various weather conditions.
“We choose Peerless-AV Xtreme outdoor displays after considerable research,” says Christoph van der Bij of DKLV. “The location of the screens is 100% outside and fully exposed to sun, wind, snow and rain. The screen also needed to be ‘hufterproof’. A Dutch expression to state that vandalism should have no effect on the screen. The expression exists because it really is a thing in The Netherlands to ’test’ a public item that is exposed not only to the weather but also the public. It was indeed tested to the maximum and passed the test with Vlag and Wimpel (flying colours).”
Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Displays are renowned for their ability to excel in fluctuating weather and harsh environmental conditions. They offer the widest operating temperature range in the industry (-35° to +60°C), are fan cooled to address heat build-up or thermal load and have a patented thermal exhaust system to keep internal components cool.
The displays also feature optical bonding, which eliminates the air gap between the glass and the panel thereby greatly reducing reflection and refraction in direct sunlight. The XHB554-EUK offers 2500nits of light output, reducing glare when used in direct sunlight or bright-lit conditions, and giving it a greater perceived brightness compared to displays that rely on extra forced brightness via additional backlight.
In areas where energy use needs to be controlled, this can be achieved by changing backlight brightness or by incorporating scheduling to control brightness according to time of day or utilising sleep mode or power on/off functionality.
IP66 rated, the Xtreme displays are fully sealed and protected against salt, dust, moisture and insects. A useful feature in areas prone to potential tampering or theft, a built-in gyroscopic sensor detects any movement of the display and sends an alert.
Furthermore, it is IK10 rated, meaning it is protected against 20 joules of impact, which is the equivalent of a 5kg mass being dropped from 400mm above the screen. When paired with corresponding outdoor mounts, the products provide the highest resilience and stability for public settings.
DKLV project managed the two installations, including development and delivery of the final custom-built solutions. Work started at the beginning of December, spanning a period of four weeks.
Initially, an XHB554-EUK 55” Xtreme High Bright Outdoor Display in landscape orientation was installed on the outside wall of the Oude Kerk. Then, at the entrance of Nieuwe Kerk, a custom digital kiosk on wheels with integrated XHB554-EUK in portrait.
The team from DKLV worked on site in challenging below zero temperatures to install the custom digital kiosk using the church’s existing static signage kiosk. Its location means it is exposed to direct sunlight and bitter conditions all year round but is rolled in at night for safety reasons.
Fitting the new interior of the kiosk took place off site and was completed in approximately 16 hours. The team used aluminium di-bond and weather resistant techniques and made a stud wall at the rear to provide a solid structure on which to hang the Xtreme display.
Advanced cabling solutions were employed to provide optimal performance and connectivity. The video signal is scaled from HDMI to SDI with a Blackmagic Design Convertor that runs on the USB power port inside the display and transfers it back to HDMI in a weatherproof situation.
The XHB554-EUK is hung onto the outside wall of the Oude Kerk with a compatible Peerless-AV outdoor mount with corrosion resistant e-coat finish. Since the building is heritage protected, the team drilled into the 15th century walls using the mortar in between the bricks so as not to cause any damage.
Post drilling, they used an injection chemical compound to strengthen the size 8 wire ends into place. The amount of space between the cutouts on the mount fitted the mortar exactly to the millimetre and, after bolting it, it was flush and horizontally aligned.
“All in all, it was a completely bespoke kiosk and since it went live in time for Christmas 2023, it has been performing really well!” adds Christoph. “It was a project where everything was blessed (no pun intended).”
In April 2024, owing to Delft city council regulations concerning street view light pollution, a decision was made to transform the standalone Xtreme display at the Oude Kerk into a smaller version of the custom kiosk solution used at Nieuwe Kerk.
Christoph continues, “It was a bit more work than anticipated but this is a typical intercity issue that us custom installers must manage on a regular basis. Even though the outdoor display was replacing a huge ugly pinboard from the 80’s!”
Once the council had approved the new wooden kiosk enclosure design, DKLV contracted a highly skilled local carpenter called Karel (also Christoph’s father-in-law and the K in DKLV), who works at a local church workshop fixing wooden church ornaments all around the Benelux.
“At the age of 88, Karel is a true woodwork craftsman and has the patience of a cat. His background also incorporates the engineering of a fully automated wastewater filtration system, currently adopted by London and Amsterdam sewage water plants. A highly intelligent inventor with meticulous attention to detail, it’s an honour to work alongside him,” adds Christoph.
Wouter van der Toorn manages the daily running of the Nieuwe Kerk kiosk on location and will also run the Oude Kerk kiosk once complete. DKLV provides a remote management service, on call and on location when servicing or maintenance is required.
At the first phase of the install, Wouter comments, “Now we’re in Spring, I am honestly amazed by the amount of sunlight the displays can take and how well they perform. You can see the screens shining brightly with clearly visible content in any weather conditions across the Markt Square in Delft, which is huge.”
The enhanced communication channels have significantly improved the visitor experience, leading to more informed inquiries and increased engagement with church activities. A particularly useful content feature is the weather report that informs visitors whether the new church tower is open or closed to climb, as well as what to expect in terms of steps, low ceilings, narrow passageways and so on.
The information was previously shown on a static sign but now the visitors benefit from dynamic, easily refreshed, scrolling content about upcoming events, special services, organ concerts and more.
The success of the digital signage installation at Nieuwe Kerk and Oude Kerk has generated interest from other organisations seeking similar solutions. DKLV aims to expand its services to cater to the growing demand.
Christoph concludes, “Peerless-AV’s Xtreme display beats any outdoor screen solution out there. Despite the initial investment, there are many long-term benefits and investment returns owing to the product’s high quality, 24/7 durability and good warranty. We liken it to a Rolls Royce solution in the digital signage industry. We want to provide our clients with a dependable solution that works for the long term and, most importantly, fits harmoniously within the historic churches and their surrounding environment.”