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Landscape + Parks < Previous Next > Photo: Philippe Renault Image: Leni Schwendinger Light Projects Zaryadye Park Location Moscow, Russia Client City of Moscow Team Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Hargreaves, Citymakers, Mobility in Chain, Buro Happold, Arup ​ ​ Leni Schwendinger joined the DS+R team for a highly sought-after, international, design competition for a park adjacent to Red Square with St Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin. The team was selected out of 90 submissions from 27 different countries. Russia’s geographical variety is mirrored in the landscape design: Arctic lands, birch, coastal and coniferous forests, the steppe, and a meadow. Buildings and pavilions such as concert halls, museums, restaurants, and an ice cave were envisioned as jewels in the landscape. A 70-meter panoramic observation deck is illuminated to appear as if it were suspended in mid-air. ​ Illumination concepts parallel the landscape and architectural principles. Lighting intends to create webs of starry light to mark destinations and delineate paths in an innovative, loosely structured way. Lighting displays interpretive measures of heat and cold weather by light quality and color temperature.

PUBLIC ART Uptown Flash LOCATION: East Harlem, New York, U.S. CLIENT & Partners: Uptown Grand Central, NYC Department of Transportation and Design Trust for Public Space ​ Continue Tidal Radiance LOCATION: San Diego, California, U.S. CLIENT: Unified Port of San Diego TEAM: Bermello Ajamil & Partners. Paul Basile Fabrication, DCI-Engineering Continue Dreaming in Color LOCATION: Marion O. McCaw Hall, Seattle, Washington, U.S. CLIENT: The City of Seattle, Seattle Center TEAM: LMN Architects, GGN, Ron Fogel Associates Continue Coney Island Parachute Jump LOCATION: Brooklyn, New York, U.S. CLIENT: NYC Economic Development Corporation, New York City Parks Department, Brooklyn Borough Presidents Office TEAM: STV, CAN Continue SpectraScape LOCATION: Dallas, Texas, U.S. CLIENT: City of Dallas TEAM: Thomas Balsley Associates, LUCID Glass, Lighting Science Group Continue Glowing Waterway LOCATION: Unna, Germany CLIENT: The City of Unna TEAM: Leni Schwendinger Light Projects Continue The Great Hall: A Spatial Portrait LOCATION: Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. CLIENT: Liberty Science Center TEAM: EwingCole, Ed Purver, Ron Fogel Associates Continue

Public Art < Previous Next > Photos: Arch Photo / Eduard Hueber Photos: Arch Photo / Eduard Hueber Coney Island Parachute Jump Location Brooklyn, NY Client NYC Economic Development Corporation, New York City Parks, Department, Brooklyn Borough Presidents Office Team STV, CAN ​ ​ Coney Island’s world-renowned Parachute Jump tower, modeled after paratrooper training towers, was constructed for the 1939 New York World’s Fair as an amusement ride. In 1941, the 260-foot tower was relocated to Coney Island’s Steeplechase Park, where it attracted half-a-million riders per year. In 1969, after the Park’s sale to the late developer Fred Trump, the Jump was closed permanently and abandoned A symbol of Coney Island’s revitalization efforts, in 2005, after the structure was landmarked it was fully refurbished. Leni Schwendinger was commissioned to conceptualize the tower as artwork. She envisioned a meeting of the popular and the mysterious— emanating from the semi-solid figure of the mushroom-shaped tower. Illuminated iconic models and sources of inspiration ranged from the Eiffel Tower, to the Empire State Building, with its shifting colors to mark public celebrations and occasions as well as dividing urban day from night. To emphasize the sense of the parachutes climbing and falling, the tower was illuminated in parts from bottom to top. Additionally, an innovative LED fixture was designed to satisfy the client’s desire for an icon that would be seen from multiple vantage points including the Verrazano Bridge. As a proof of concept, an on-site mock-up was orchestrated to observe the fixture from all directions. The bright sparkling LEDs defined the canopy of the tower. The lighting systems were integrated and programmed to animate sequences of colored light. For optimal audience connection, a calendar of programmed sequences played daily – identifying on-and-off boardwalk season, full-moon cycle, and holidays. During bird migratory season, the lights were programmed to turn off at 11:00 pm, to align with the bird life-saving “Lights Out New York” initiative. Leni Schwendinger’s artistic vision and the client’s mandate were actualized in July 2006 at a public celebration on the boardwalk—when the Parachute Jump’s starry dynamo of light was seen from the ocean, highway, boardwalk, and neighborhoods all around New York City. The award-winning design was dismantled in 2016.

Planning + Community < Previous Next > International Nighttime Design Initiative (NTD), Planning 4 Places ​ Municipal Smart City Street Lighting Conversion & Evolving Technology Guidebook Location New York Capital District Client Capital District Transportation Team International Nighttime Design Initative (NTD), Planning 4 Places ​ ​ The Municipal Smart City Street Light Conversion & Evolving Technology Guidebook was commissioned to address issues of street light ownership, the streamlining of municipal services, and economic benefits for New York State. Additionally, the convergence of energy-saving, responsive technologies, ownership of data, and infrastructure is being debated across the nation. In parallel, issues of public space equity and social cohesion are in flux. The intent was to provide guidelines proposing a unique hybrid of design, policy, technological and social inputs to the growing field of smart cities applications. As cities and towns across the region convert/upgrade their street lights to energy-saving LED, they must consider and balance lighting quality, safety, after-dark social issues, digital infrastructure, and economic considerations. The guidebook also addresses community engagement, essential for developing trust and on-the-ground knowledge, with a photo narrative about NightSeeing™, an evening program developed by Leni Schwendinger for active learning about illumination and nighttime design. Planning for smart and responsive lighting technologies opens the door to considerations about expanded digital infrastructure. The range of available applications results in a vast set of options and market promises from parking solutions to gunshot detection. Case Study, City of Saratoga Springs With a thriving downtown night-life and historical importance, the City of Saratoga Springs presented an excellent test-case for how to create safe and sustainable nighttime environments through a strategic look at lighting. With additional regional and Northeast case studies, diagrams and images, the guidebook offers context, perspective, and a roadmap for complex decision-making processes. The Saratoga Springs’ streets and open spaces contain a mixture of public lighting with an inconsistent collection of light poles and fixtures as well as light sources – sodium, metal halide and LED. Saratoga Springs desired to consolidate the look and feel of their night lighting and connect it to a central system. Committed to sustainability and exploring enabling technologies through their Smart City Roadmap, they can now consider expanded options such as electric vehicle charging, public WiFi, and data collection capabilities to aid safety, transportation, and other service operations. The International Nighttime Design Initiative (NTD), founded by Ms. Schwendinger, partnered with Planning4Places to complete a Municipal Lighting Technology Guidebook for The Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC) as part of New York State’s Smart Communities Program. The guidebook also addresses community engagement, essential for developing trust and on-the-ground knowledge, with a photo narrative about NightSeeing™, an evening program developed by Leni Schwendinger for active learning about illumination and nighttime design. The Guidebook is free and available to the public.

Infrastructure + Bridges < Previous Next > Photos: Kevin C Downs/For New York Daily News ​ MTA Enhanced Station Initiative Location New York, NY Client New York City Transit, The MTA Team Grimshaw, Arup, Page, Ayres Cowley Architects ​ ​ New York’s century-old subway lines transport millions of residents and visitors between 472 stations, across all five boroughs daily. To improve user experience, 33 subway stations were slated to be renovated in 2015-2019. ​Led by the New York City Transit Authority (NYCT), the ESI Program was a major investment in MTA infrastructure. Arup was ESI’s Program Facilitator tasked to develop the bridging and bid documents, oversee the architectural and engineering design, scheduling, cost, construction packaging, and procurement of all program work MTA desired to counteract the dim, worn-out atmosphere of the stations. Leni Schwendinger was involved in the initial envisioning process with Grimshaw Architects. She then led the Arup lighting design group, while working closely with Arup’s infrastructure department and wider design team. Efforts for historic station lighting were completed with Page Ayres Cowley Architects. The Arup lighting team scope ranged from extremely specialized technical requirements to illumination of creative architectural and wayfinding additions for the newly envisioned stations. The design consisted of conversion to LED, redesign, and reconsideration of illumination systems. It focused on perceptually "raising the roof" of the compressed underground experience with uplights into the rounded ceiling vaults. The design team focused on an atmosphere of crisp passageways and to complement physical attributes such as new finishes, public art, glass balustrades, and other upgrades. A prominent station will be the site of a major light-art installation throughout the mezzanine area. Schwendinger led the effort to create a canvas for the winning artist. ​After the bridging document phase, the lighting group joined design-build teams to ensure that the lighting concepts were adhered to. MTA’s design-build efforts are focused on refreshed identity, visual comfort, and better wayfinding, among other amenities, to enhance New Yorkers' everyday lives.

Public Art < Previous Next > Photos: Bryan Amann ​ SpectraScape Location Dallas, Texas Client City of Dallas Team Thomas Balsley Associates, LUCID Glass, Lighting Science Group ​ ​ At the heart of downtown Dallas’s revitalization is the Main Street Garden Park–a contemporary public space of lawns, gardens, fountains, dog run, open-air shelters, and other family and visitor-friendly features such as an outdoor café. Architect-designed, inverted “L” shaped green-glass shade-structures standing along the edge of Main Street are set off by a long triangle of seasonally planted, colorful striated gardens. For the Park, artist Leni Schwendinger created site-specific interactive artwork. The artwork utilizes the narrow edge of four new study shelters designed by Thomas Balsley. When a passing visitor enters the shelter, the exterior edges of the L-shaped structure glow with vertical bands of luminous color. Connecting the artwork to the garden itself, four seasonal color palettes were derived from the nearby field of striated plantings—rusts and golds for fall, pinks, yellows, and greens for summer, and so on—striving to differentiate each combination of hues. Winter, spring, summer, and fall are announced through rhythmic sequences of colors and tones. To achieve this effect, innovative LED technologies and computer electronics were employed along with custom fabricated art-glass panels. The artwork invites participation and calls attention to the often-forgotten periphery of an everyday structure. The art installation transforms a park shelter into a compelling nighttime urban experience. SpectraScape’s light-play transforms Main Street Garden Park into an urban oasis visible day and night.

Planning + Community < Previous Next > Photos: Guthrie Photography Photos: Guthrie Photography Water Above Water Location Forth and Clyde Canal, Glasgow, Scotland Client Glasgow 1999, British Waterways Team Leni Schwendinger Light Projects ​ ​ “As part of Glasgow’s 1999 City of Architecture and Design initiative, the Maryhill Locks were the focus of a public art project. Coordinated by American lighting designer, Leni Schwendinger, Water Above Water temporarily transformed the locks and Kelvin Aqueduct into a magical, illuminated landscape. A sea of luminous blue, green and aquamarine floodlighting dissolved and animated the stern, hand-hewn stone of the aqueduct’s buttresses and arches.” Excerpt from “Delight”, Architectural Review, December 1999. The year-long festival reiterated Glasgow's tradition of involving communities in the process of redefining their environment. Leni Schwendinger was commissioned by Independent Public Arts in Edinburgh. She aspired to "go where the people live", with an art installation of local Scottish significance that also resonated on an international scale. Water Above Water, a Sublime Floating Landscape was both a temporal art installation and a community-engaged “happening”. Conceived and designed to draw both local and international audiences to the 1,000-foot configuration of landmarked locks and aqueducts in North Glasgow's Maryhill, Water Above Water 's mixage of art, engineering, and illuminations celebrated the Forth & Clyde Canal's visible landscape and invisible industrial heritage--creating an opportunity to reflect the achievements of Glasgow's industrial past Conceived and designed to draw both local and international audiences to the 1,000-foot configuration of landmarked locks and aqueducts in North Glasgow's Maryhill, Water Above Water 's mixage of art, engineering, and illuminations celebrated the Forth & Clyde Canal's visible landscape and invisible industrial heritage--creating an opportunity to reflect the achievements of Glasgow's industrial past. Water Above Water ‘s three artistic elements were: illumination of the Forth & Clyde Canal's landscape and towpath; locally-made floating constructions scaled from miniature to life-size; and light-suffused colors onto the Kelvin Aqueduct's 400-foot-by-70-foot, rusticated-stone and buttresses in the valley below. Viewers of Water Above Water were invited to stroll through an unforgettable landscape of natural and constructed experience, while British (now Scottish) Waterway’s lockkeepers operated the lock-gates so the canal waters rose and fell in a timed sequence. Artist Leni Schwendinger instigated local involvement, which emanated from the neighborhood center’s community art and kayaking classes. Following the public artist’s design brief, student artists developed an elementary school curriculum that entailed building papier-mâché water-creature floats. An architect and professional artist group also interpreted the design brief with abstract silvery sculptures. The kayakers put the floats in place. Additionally, electric model-ship makers from east Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park arrived to float their battleships during the installation.

Infrastructure + Bridges < Previous Next > Photo: Steve Hosey Diagrams: Leni Schwendinger Light Projects Kingston Bridge Location Glasgow, Scotland Client Glasgow City Council Department of Development and Regeneration Services Team McKeown Alexander Architects, Mott MacDonald ​ ​ A public art commission to re-envision the most highly trafficked bridge in Europe at night. Chroma Streams; Tide and Traffic is a site-specific, integrated lighting installation for the Kingston Bridge in Glasgow, Scotland is part of the city’s lighting strategy and regeneration of the river banks. Artist Leni Schwendinger with her Light Projects team collaborated with architects McKeown Alexander. The Kingston Bridge comprises five traffic lanes in each direction, supported by two monumental concrete arcs connecting the city masses over the River Clyde. The underside of the vast concrete slabs provides a canvas for the artwork. Two great flows, seemingly antithetical, tidal, and vehicular traffic, are triggers for the illumination, color, and sequencing concepts. Glaswegian physicist Lord Kelvin's tidal graphs prompted the consideration of how these flows could be measured and illustrated through color on the bridge itself. Two great flows, seemingly antithetical, tidal, and vehicular traffic, are triggers for the illumination, color, and sequencing concepts. Glaswegian physicist Lord Kelvin's tidal graphs prompted the consideration of how these flows could be measured and illustrated through color on the bridge itself. This installation uses light in various ways: to illuminate and give resonance to the bridge's overlooked surfaces; to heighten its rapport with the flow of the river below it; and to, through a series of shifting and evolving real-time patterns, explore the relationship between the flow of traffic on the bridge itself and the slow change of the tides on the river below. Providing a daytime element to the artwork’s nighttime presence is crucial to outdoor works in the medium of light. Four 20-foot-tall stainless-steel sculptural armatures, inspired by Lord Kelvin's curvy nineteenth-century graphs, are installed in sculptural pairs on each side of the river.

Planning + Community < Previous Next > Images: Leni Schwendinger with Arup Images: Leni Schwendinger with Arup Double Bay Centre Public Domain Lighting Strategy Location Double Bay, Australia Client Woollahra Municipal Council Team Arup, ASPECT Studios, NightSeeing ​ ​ Double Bay is an upscale, bay-side village that features a blend of natural landscaping, architecture, and waterfront. At night, the area is defined by its dining and social economy. The Council desired an illumination strategy that attracts visitors by visualizing the community’s tagline Stylish, Intimate, Refreshing. The Strategy proposes recommendations for the development and delivery of future lighting projects to create a cohesive nighttime experience within the precinct. It provides guidelines for new lighting infrastructure projects and strategies that will enhance visitor experiences and support creativity in the community. The strategic design process began with a NightSeeing™ program. The workshop and a series of site visits identified key understandings of the current night-time conditions and several objectives for future illumination projects. Following this, the design team worked with stakeholders, decision-makers, and consultants within the client team to identify and agree on key objectives. The Lighting Strategy was developed over nine months and included key stakeholder workshops and meetings. Circulation routes were prioritized according to nighttime usage. Functional and creative overlays were identified. Lighting characteristics were designed, and finally, discrete projects were outlined and priced. Prototypes and selected design projects are being implemented​ over time. This process was informed by and supports the Double Bay Place Plan 2014. It is consistent with the principles of place-making to maximize Double Bay’s distinctive brand.

Infrastructure + Bridges < Previous Next > Photo: Eduard Hueber / Arch Photo ​ 42nd Street Bus Terminal, Triple Bridge Gateway Location New York, NY Client Port Authority of NY and NJ Team PKSB, Flack + Kurtz ​ ​ Host to thousands of daily commuters and travelers, Manhattan’s Port Authority Bus Terminal relies on a complex system of ramps and gates for smooth operations. Four ramps – a set of three metal, I-beam type, and one concrete span Ninth Avenue. They connect the terminal with the region and the country, providing access to the Lincoln Tunnel and other roadways. Prior to the reconstruction project, the pedestrian landscape beneath these ramps was shadowy and dismal. In 1995, the Port Authority contacted Manhattan Community Board 4 to ascertain the concerns and desires of the local community. Leni Schwendinger was instrumental in the Community Board’s Task Force, which compiled design guidelines through a community involvement process. Subsequently Leni Schwendinger Light Projects and architectural firm, PKSB, proposed a luminous and colorful architectural design solution for pedestrian and vehicular street traffic, winning the commission. For design approvals, an extensive design and testing process was activated. Testing included color choices and finishes such as mica chips coupled with light beam angles to produce suffusion for an enhanced glow effect, and metal bending techniques for cast ground reflections. Series one tests were held at a film studio and a second, over several nights, in a protected underpass area nearby the site. Leni Schwendinger led this effort. The design choices – from lighting to color pattern – were selected to emphasize the I-beam engineered structure of the bridges. Metal mesh illuminated by standard lighting fixtures is utilized in innovative ways. Reflective panels produce a carpet of light onto the roadbed creating a luminous room in amid an urban node. A preprogrammed control system switches on one of four settings each evening in line with Schwendinger’s philosophy to provide a fresh illuminated environment to the public every evening.