2010 AL Design Awards: Power & Light Utility Bridge, Kansas City, Mo.

Entrant: Helix Architecture + Design

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Located in downtown Kansas City, Mo., over a stretch of Highway 470, which divides the city’s Crossroads Arts District and the Power & Light Entertainment District, the Power & Light Utility Bridge is a new take on how to integrate elements of infrastructure into a city’s fabric. A bridge to transport electricity, not people, the 163-foot-long truss structure carries banks of large conduit within its zinc-clad walls.

Mindful of not creating a distraction to drivers, Helix Architecture + Design selected a matte-black finish for the exterior face of the cladding, which has a perforated pattern of holes in different diameters set into a raised, relief texture. By day it creates a subtle play of shadows, as the panels slightly bow outward. At night, the structure takes on a completely different personality; the bridge comes to life. Internally illuminated by 52 60W RGB LED wallwash luminaires (grouped in two rows of 26), the pattern of dot openings is in the form of three sine waves—inspired by the phases of electrical current—while the background relief texture calls to mind a field of electrons.

A white film on the interior face of the zinc panels helps to reflect light. The fixtures are operated by a control system, and a continuous pulse of blue saturated light flows across the bridge, south to north, indicating the direction of the power being provided by Kansas City Power & Light. “There’s been a tremendous amount of development in the Crossroads Arts and Power & Light Entertainment Districts the past several years,” explains Michael Heule, founding principal of Helix Architecture + Design. “This structure had to be more than just a utility bridge, it had to give something back to the community.” And it does. Celebrating the energy it transmits, the functional nature of light is transformed into art.

Jury Comments: An interesting concept. • There is a simplicity of execution in the architecture and the lighting that results in a great effect. • The design accomplishes a lot with a small budget.

About the Author

Elizabeth Donoff

Elizabeth Donoff is Editor-at-Large of Architectural Lighting (AL). She served as Editor-in-Chief from 2006 to 2017. She joined the editorial team in 2003 and is a leading voice in the lighting community speaking at industry events such as Lightfair and the International Association of Lighting Designers Annual Enlighten Conference, and has twice served as a judge for the Illuminating Engineering Society New York City Section’s (IESNYC) Lumen Award program. In 2009, she received the Brilliance Award from the IESNYC for dedicated service and contribution to the New York City lighting community. Over the past 11 years, under her editorial direction, Architectural Lighting has received a number of prestigious B2B journalism awards. In 2017, Architectural Lighting was a Top Ten Finalist for Magazine of the Year from the American Society of Business Publication Editors' AZBEE Awards. In 2016, Donoff received the Jesse H. Neal Award for her Editor’s Comments in the category of Best Commentary/Blog, and in 2015, AL received a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Media Brand (Overall Editorial Excellence).Prior to her entry into design journalism, Donoff worked in New York City architectural offices including FXFowle where she was part of the project teams for the Reuters Building at Three Times Square and the New York Times Headquarters. She is a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Me., and she earned her Master of Architecture degree from the School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis.

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