Merriweather “Rainbow Sunset” Brightens Columbia, MD
The Merriweather Parking Garage, in Columbia, MD, marks a busy intersection at Little Patuxent Parkway and Broken Land Parkway. It stands around the corner from Merriweather Post Pavilion and Symphony Woods. It is part of the larger Columbia Merriweather Development, built by the Howard Hughes Corporation.
Vicki Scuri SiteWorks was tasked with the challenge of transforming this large gray parking structure with a Public Art project. Our solution takes its inspiration from the setting sun on the western side of the building.
“Rainbow Sunset” features optical color blending, utilizing vibrant translucent fins placed over bold graphic curves to suggest the hues of a sunset. The work, sited on the north and west sides of the parking garage, activates these faces, providing visual interest and color.
During the day, the work interacts with sunlight, color and movement; creating ever changing nuances of optical color blending. A series of elongated curves forms the background of the work. Painted in bold colors, they are an anamorphic projection of a circle placed onto the corner of the garage.
A dazzling display of colorful translucent polycarbonate panels forms the dynamic pattern element of the work. These fins have a diffuse glow in sunlight and cast colorful shadows on the painted walls behind them. This creates a constantly changing experience of the work.
Designed to present a bold graphic statement at the scale of the neighborhood, it works as a community landmark. “Rainbow Sunset” also includes elegant smaller moments in the details of the project.
This consideration of multiple scales and experiences is a hallmark of our work and imbues this project with depth and richness. This simple solution is truly transformative and is the key to the success of this project.
Team Credits:
Alexandr Polzin
Client: