The metal halide fixtures that had previously been used to illuminate the pedestrian/bicycle bridge were causing a serious threat to the sensitive salmon that spawn directly under the glass bottomed structure. As this halide lighting burned at night, it reflected into the water and in the air, allowing predators to find and decimate the salmon population.
Jeff Dennis of Multi-Lite USA was called in as project manager to find a solution to this environmental issue. At the same time, Dennis was also asked to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the bridge's lighting while reducing its environmental footprint. A "theatrical lighting designer at heart," Dennis reached into his theatrical background to solve some serious lighting issues at the famous bridge. He also drew on "a significant amount of help from Todd Ricci," Lighting Director for Bruce Springsteen.
"The main problem was that tens of thousands of salmon were being killed by predators with the existing metal halide light that was washing the bridge," he said. "I worked closely with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to get this project in the city's purview."
Dennis and Ricci found a solution to the bridge's lighting needs by turning to the Ilumipanel 180 IP, an RGBWA (red, green, blue, white and amber) outdoor rated wash fixture with impressive colour mixing capabilities and integrated wireless DMX-512 receivers.
"The Iluminarc fixtures allowed us to give the bridge the looks that it needed while still giving us the flexibility to light only the sections that we wanted to highlight, while keeping any and all reflections out of the water from the bottom of the bridge," he explained. "A critical factor was the Iluminarc panel's split optics; they gave me the freedom to get the job done. Fish and Wildlife wanted a drastic reduction in light for the salmon, as well as a very specific colour that aids their environment. This was something we could accomplish with the panels that we weren't able to do with the metal halides."
Lighting control was a major factor in achieving the Sundial Bridge's enhanced appearance. Dennis reached out to City Theatrical for a ShowXpress 512 system to control and create looks for the Sundial Bridge. "We wanted to have a simple to use control system for the city to be able to change the colors of the bridge to boost the feeling for certain events and holidays across the year," he said. "Now, in addition to being able to dim the lighting down and change its colour for the salmon, the city has is able to vary the look of one of its landmarks."
Designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay is indeed one of the most distinctive landmarks in all of California. The support tower of the bridge forms a single 217 foot angled mast that serves as the gnomon of "the world's largest sundial".
(Jim Evans)
