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 life forms of the Great Basin. The insides of the towers are painted a warm hue to complement the nearby mountains. The light towers are sited at Meadowood Mall Way, marking 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 the seasons and holidays, the illumination creates anticipation of celebration. On the fall equinox, the lighting is programmed to suggest autumn hues throughout the fall 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 has twelve ColorKinetic Color Blast 12 fixtures that are positioned to create a glow that can be seen from some distance. The light towers are visible both from the frontage roads and from I-580, creating 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 Brest Cancer Awareness Month. The show transitions from fall colors to pink hues. On the Winter Solstice, the color palette changes to winter hues. Similar to Wolf Pack Saturdays, the winter season is characterized by cool hues of blues and purples.

Throughout out the year, over forty holidays are programmed reflecting the celebratory nature of the community. Reno is a city of lights.

Another artwork, the Reno Star, is featured in Meadowood Complex. Meadowood Complex includes three bridges and their 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 one 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)