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There's A Giant Billboard In Sweden That's Actually Helping The Planet

The ad does more than just convince you to spend money.
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE FROM RAMBOLL
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Ramboll / YouTube

Advertising billboards are usually known for nothing other than trying to convince people to part with their hard-earned cash. But one unique ad project in Sweden wants to do more, and is actually trying to develop a sustainable society.

With freezing temperatures and low food supplies, Sweden is not a particularly hospitable place for birds in the winter. That’s why leading sustainable society consultant company Ramboll has installed a hidden bird feeding machine behind a massive billboard on its office building in the Swedish city of Uppsala.

The enormous 106-square metre interactive billboard covers the facade of the six-storey building and features a photograph of two hands on which eight seemingly invisible platforms are placed. This means that when birds stop by to take advantage of the unlimited supply of bird seed, they appear to people passing on the street below as though they are feeding from human hands.

“The bird-billboard is a creative example of how we use technology to create value for people, society and nature,” explains Linus Almqvist, Head of Communications at Ramboll Sweden. “In this case, for the birds in Uppsala. We call it Engineering for life”.

Ramboll / YouTube

The mechanism for delivering the bird feed is hidden behind the billboard, within the office building, from where the supply for the feeding platforms is replenished. A gearwheel system enables wheeled mini tracks to deliver bird seed in jars that have been specially designed for the birds to eat from. The innovative billboard is the latest installation under the company’s Engineering for life concept.

Ramboll / YouTube

Previous examples in the series include a road construction project in the Erikslund trade area in Sweden where Ramboll integrated three tunnels under the road to create a safe crossing for the frogs and salamanders that live in the area. Rather than simply using technology for the sake of it, the company focuses on using it to create value for people, society and nature.

“As a purpose driven company categorized by innovative solutions we always strive to give back to society,” says Almqvist. It has been a part of our DNA for more than 70 years”.

Ramboll was founded in Denmark in 1945 by engineers Børge Rambøll and Johan George Hannemann. After witnessing the destruction caused by the Second World War, the pair were driven by a strong urge to re-build and develop society. They firmly believed that technology can improve people’s everyday lives and the societies that they live in — a concept that still holds true at the company today.

Ramboll / YouTube

While maintaining its original goal, the company has solved challenges in a number of fields including transportation and air and water quality, along with building and landscape architecture. The company has worked on a number of high-profile projects over the years including the distinctive Copenhagen Opera House, the extension to the Tate Modern art museum in London, and the Oresund Bridge, which famously links Sweden and Denmark.

Today, Ramboll is the leading technical society consultant with 13,000 experts working in nearly 300 offices across 35 countries. These experts work on designing sustainable cities and societies where people want to live, and Ramboll’s Engineering for life concept is at the very heart of that.

“As a foundation-owned company we have the possibility to live our values and work long term, says Almqvist. “Always with the mission to create sustainable societies where people and nature flourish. That is something we are very proud of”.

To find out more about Ramboll and its projects, head over to the Ramboll website.

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