Garden Under the Bridge

When St. Louis's Scott Avenue Transit Plaza reopened in August 2012, it was more spacious and convenient for commuters. It was also brighter, thanks to public artist Barbara Grygutis. "The new Scott Avenue Transit Plaza, which serves the St. Louis's Grand MetroLink station, is located beneath the new Grand Avenue Bridge," she says. "The challenge was to create an interesting and user-friendly environment for the transit station, which had historically been a very dark site."

The redesigned Plaza, renamed "Garden Under the Bridge," has decorative iron fencing, colored paving, new seating, and pot lights embedded into the pavement. These features revolve around two central 20-foot sculptural elements that gleam from within. To create this effect, static blue Lumenfacade fixtures were installed along the structural spine of each sculpture. "As things turned out, the hardware for installing the lamps provided by Lumenpulse worked very well," Grygutis reports.

The semi-transparent sculptures allow natural light to flow through them during the day, while the soft blue hue glows at night. "The influence of natural curvilinear lines and shapes soften the Scott Avenue Transit Plaza, while integrated, designed lighting creates a bright, welcoming and safe atmosphere for commuters," Grygutis explains. "The sleek design of the Lumenpulse light fixture and the quality of the LED light projected was perfect for this project."

The luminaires are in a high-traffic public setting and can be exposed to harsh weather conditions, so durability was a deciding factor. "I was determined to use LED from the start," Grygutis reports. "From a maintenance standpoint, this is the most efficient lighting because it requires really no maintenance at all. For works of art in the public domain, this is really important."

The new lighting sets the tone of the Garden Under the Bridge, while also evoking its transient nature. "The sculptural environment would be deficient without the lighting because the illumination creates the atmosphere," Grygutis says. "The electric blue color, which radiates from the sculptures, creates an ephemeral context."

Equipment Specified
2 x Lumenfacade (1', static blue, 60° x 60°)
2 x Lumenfacade (2', static blue, 60° x 60°)
6 x Lumenfacade (4', static blue, 60° x 60°)
UMP mounting accessories