WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?Color & LightSoaring 70 feet into the air above a major freeway, the Chihuly Bridge of Glass is a 500-foot-long pedestrian bridge linking the Washington State History Museum in downtown Tacoma, WA, to the Thea Foss Waterway, home to the Museum of Glass. Conceived by glass artist and Tacoma native Dale Chihuly and designed in collaboration with Arthur Andersson of AnderssonWise Architects, the bridge is a stunning display of color and form. Three pavilions house Chihuly pieces: the Seaform Pavilion, the Crystal Towers and the Venetian Wall.
Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design and Pacific Lightworks, LLC collaborated with Andersson Wise on the project's award-winning lighting. Objectives included: enhance the experience of viewing the Chihuly pieces (some of which are the largest blown-glass works ever executed) without intrusive light fixtures or an overwhelming ambient light level; provide a safe nighttime environment; prevent the feeling of "entrapment" when passing over the freeway from one exit to the other; and maintain relatively low light levels in pedestrian zones while still creating "opportunities of refuge and recognition."
A virtual walk-through of the bridge can be accessed at: www.chihuly.com/bridgeofglass/.
Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design and Pacific Lightworks, LLC collaborated with Andersson
A virtual walk-through of the bridge can be accessed at: www.chihuly.com/bridgeofglass/.
