Light Up the Community

Our recent project, Meadowood Mall Complex, features programmable LED light towers. During the day, the sun highlights the patterned concrete surfaces suggesting the ancient life forms of the Great Basin. The insides of the towers, painted a warm hue, complement the nearby mountains. The light towers, sited at Meadowood Mall Way, mark an entry to nearby Meadowood Mall, one of Reno’s major regional malls.

At dusk, the lights come on and begin their nightly show. Programmed to change with the seasons and holidays, the illumination creates anticipation of celebration. On the fall equinox, the lighting program suggests autumn hues throughout the season, with the exception of holidays and special events.

Above, warm hues of oranges, golds and reds dramatize the fall season. Below, vibrant hues of blues celebrate the local football team by marking their games and their colors on “Wolf Pack Saturdays,” in October and November.

Each tower holds twelve ColorKinetic Color Blast 12 fixtures positioned to create a glow that can be seen from some distance. The light towers, visible both from the frontage roads and from I-580, create a local landmark.

The lighting is programmed using the ColorKinetics iPlayer. The iPlayer offers pre-programmed shows that can be modified by selection of hues, selection of speeds, duration of color holds, and length of show. The programs repeat in a loop. A sensor activates the lights. At dusk, the show begins. At dawn, the show ends.

In October, the program changes to reflect Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The show transitions from fall colors to pink hues. On the Winter Solstice, the color palette changes to winter hues. cool hues of blues and purples characterize the winter season, similar to “Wolf Pack Saturdays.”

With over forty holidays throughout out the year, the programming reflects the celebratory nature of the community. Reno is a city of lights.

The Meadowood Complex features another artwork, the Reno Star. The Meadowood Complex includes three bridges and their surrounding sites. All of the bridges are renovated through bridge widening projects allowing for aesthetics and landscape to be integrated with the work. The first site is at Meadowood Mall Way, a second one is at McCarran Boulevard, and a third is at South Virgina Street. Between the projects there is a large open space that demonstrates sustainable landscaping with rain harvesting and native plants. The Reno Star anchors this site.

The Reno Star Cosmic Thistle first premiered at Burning Man in 2012. It is the creation of Mark Szulgit, lead artist with assistant Brooke Erdman. Suggesting native plant forms, fabricated using recycled steel, it fits its site and complements the interstate, creating a gateway marker at Mccarran Boulevard and South Virginia Street.

At night, the Reno Star creates a dramatic silhouette against the Reno sky. The project is 46’ tall and 65’ in diameter.

Project Team for Meadowood Complex:

Client:  Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County

Prime: CH2M Hill

Landscape: Places (Barb Santner/Stanton)

Artist: Vicki Scuri Siteworks with Mark Spitzer Designs

Project Team for the Reno Star:

Lead Artist:  Mark Szulgit

Assistant Artist:  Brook Erdman

Sponsor:  City of Reno, RSCVA

Photo Credit:  Dan Newton (Meadowood Complex all nighttime images except Reno Star)

Photo Credit:  Vicki Scuri (Daytime images and Reno Star)