# Starbucks - A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains -- Three-Projector Terrain Mapping

> For Starbucks' "Only This Green" activation, MLABART built a physical landscape model and brought "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains" into motion with three HD laser projectors. The scope covered terrain fabrication, custom mapping video, projector installation, alignment and edge blending, plus scheduled daily startup and shutdown for store operations.

- **Client:** Starbucks
- **Industry:** Culture
- **Published:** 2026-06-30

## Project facts

- **Brand:** Starbucks
- **Format:** Projection-mapped terrain installation
- **Projection:** 3 HD laser projectors - 1920 x 1080 each
- **Our role:** Terrain, video, installation, alignment & edge blending
- **Operation:** 45 days - scheduled daily startup and shutdown

## Physical terrain and animated content

MLABART fabricated a physical landscape model inspired by "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains." Custom video was created to fit the terrain, placing the painting's blue-green imagery onto real peaks and slopes.
Visitors explore the dimensional landscape visually. Its depth comes from the physical model; its changing scenes come from the mapped video.
[Explore projection mapping](https://mlabart.com/solutions/projection-mapping/)

## Three-projector alignment and edge blending

Three HD laser projectors, each at 1920 x 1080, supplied the imagery. MLABART handled installation, commissioning and edge blending, aligning the video to the model so the separate projection areas read as one landscape.
Content was made for the actual terrain, not treated as a flat image on an ordinary screen. The work joined physical fabrication, video production and on-site calibration.

## MLABART's production and technical scope

The delivery connected the terrain model, its custom video and the on-site projection system. Daily startup and shutdown were configured to match Starbucks' store operating requirements.
### Make the landscape physical.

Produce the terrain model that carries the mountain contours and serves as the projection surface.
### Fit the moving image.

Create terrain-specific video, install and commission three projectors, then align and edge-blend their imagery.
### Follow the daily schedule.

Configure scheduled startup and shutdown around the store's operating requirements.

## Project-reported operating results

The project operated normally for 45 days. MLABART's project information reports 300+ visits per day and 15,000+ visits in total.
These figures were supplied by MLABART on October 4, 2026. They describe project attendance, not verified unique visitors, sales generated by the installation or independently audited uptime.

## Explore related formats

- [Projection mapping](https://mlabart.com/solutions/projection-mapping/)
- [Discuss a terrain-mapping installation](https://mlabart.com/contact/)

## Scenario

A Starbucks cultural brand activation inspired by the blue-green landscape of "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains," presented through a physical terrain model and animated projection.

## Interaction

Visitors view a dimensional landscape with moving imagery aligned to its physical peaks and slopes. MLABART fabricated the terrain and produced video tailored to the model, then installed, commissioned and edge-blended three laser projectors, each with a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

## Technologies

- Projection Mapping
- 3D Terrain Model
- Digital Content Production

## Marketing value

Physical relief gives the painted landscape depth; precisely aligned moving imagery adds a changing visual layer. The installation brings a cultural story into a retail environment without relying on a flat screen.

## Results

The project operated normally for 45 days, with reported attendance of 300+ visits per day and 15,000+ visits in total.

Source: project delivery and operations information supplied by MLABART on October 4, 2026. Attendance figures count visits, not verified unique visitors or attributable sales. The daily and total figures were supplied separately; no third-party audit is claimed.

## Image context
Additional installation and store-context photographs supplied with the project. MLABART's confirmed scope is the terrain model, mapping video, projector installation and commissioning, edge blending and scheduled operation--not the wider store design, costume displays or merchandise.

## Physical terrain and site-specific content

MLABART fabricated the landscape model and created video specifically aligned to its contours. The physical relief and moving blue-green imagery work together to evoke the painting as a dimensional scene.

## Three-projector installation and edge blending

The team installed and commissioned three HD laser projectors, aligning their imagery to the terrain and blending the projection areas into a continuous visual composition. Each projector had a resolution of 1920 x 1080; this is a per-projector specification, not a claimed combined canvas resolution.

## Daily operation in a retail setting

Startup and shutdown were scheduled to match the Starbucks store's operating requirements. MLABART's project record reports 45 days of normal operation; no independently audited uptime percentage is claimed.

## Why brands choose this approach

- One connected delivery scope: physical terrain, custom mapping video, projector installation, commissioning and edge blending.
- Three HD laser projectors, each at 1920 x 1080, aligned to a single physical landscape.
- Scheduled daily startup and shutdown configured around the store's operating requirements.

## Video

- [A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains -- Projection-Mapped 3D Terrain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOmaRfU56mc) -- uploaded 2026-06-27

## Images

- ![Detail of the blue-green projection-mapped mountain terrain made by MLABART for Starbucks](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/hero.webp)
- ![Starbucks storefront with a green landscape-themed entrance display](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/01.webp)
- ![Starbucks entrance with a framed illustrated display beneath the store sign](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/02.webp)
- ![Decorative artwork and seating in the wider Starbucks store environment](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/03.webp)
- ![Colorful overhead decoration and illuminated display panels inside the store](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/04.webp)
- ![Blue-green costume display in the wider themed store environment](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/05.webp)
- ![Close-up of blue-green projected imagery following the relief of a mountain model](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/06.webp)
- ![Staff member beside a themed Starbucks visitor display](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/07.webp)
- ![Themed Starbucks cups and merchandise displayed on a table](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/08.webp)
- ![Themed bear merchandise on shelves inside the Starbucks store](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/09.webp)
- ![Leafy stepped approach beside traditional-style buildings in the supplied site photos](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/10.webp)
- ![Doorway view toward the illuminated terrain model beside a Starbucks display panel](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/11.webp)
- ![Blue-green mountain terrain on a dark plinth with projected Chinese text on the wall](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/12.webp)
- ![End-on view of the Starbucks terrain projection, with ceiling-mounted equipment above](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/13.webp)
- ![Opposite end view of the illuminated physical terrain and ceiling installation](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/14.webp)
- ![Close-up of projected blue ridges and yellow-green slopes on the physical model](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/15.webp)
- ![Angled room view of the long projection-mapped terrain model](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/16.webp)
- ![Wide side view along the landscape model showing multiple projected mountain peaks](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/17.webp)
- ![Blue-green projection flowing across sculpted terrain under wall-projected lettering](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/18.webp)
- ![Full view of the blue mountain relief on its rectangular plinth at Starbucks](https://mlabart.com/cases/starbucks-a-thousand-li/19.webp)

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**MLABART** -- Interaction - Imagination - Innovation

MLABART is an interactive installation and interactive software development studio. We design, program and deliver interactive installations -- motion-sensing games, touch and AI experiences, interactive LED walls, projection mapping, naked-eye 3D and kinetic sculptures -- for mall and New Year's Eve countdown campaigns, trade-show booths and launches, and brand pop-ups, from concept and custom software through fabrication and on-site delivery.

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