As one of the fastest growing areas in Australia, Sydney’s continual increase in population means more demand for infrastructure. Not to mention it being an international and domestic visitor gateway, consistently named as a favourite tourist destination, contributing to pressures on the urban landscape of the City.
The recent Sydney Gateway project was provided $2.6 billion to complete over 5km of new road as well as 19 new bridge structures. A welcome toll-free way to connect St Peters to Sydney Airport, the M5 and Eastern Distributor. Creating a more efficient journey time for those using these routes and therefore easing congestion that inevitably spills out from here.
As part of this incredible body of work for Sydney’s transport network, Arcadis and Aecom joined forces to bring the Sydney Gateway Flyover Bridge and Overpass to life. Igniting the architectural landscape of Sydney, the Gateway bridges span across parts of Sydney’s architectural landscape. Spectrum IP RGBW by Coolon creates a kaleidoscope of colour with it’s smooth colour changing transitions which produce a gamut of richly intense colours for commuters to relish in. Lighting the underside of the grand arches, these colours are uniform in appearance with Spectrum’s quad-chip LED that allow precise colour mixing to occur in each diode.
The design brief not only called for functionality but also visual experience, which was equally important. “An art experience that aids in intuitive wayfinding and enhances the legibility of this space will contribute to making it easier to use, safer and less stressful..” says Caap.com.au. With that in mind and an even more essential call to communicate ‘Connection to Country’ meant that local artists with strong connection to Gadigal, Badigar, Dharawal and Yuin communities, were selected. First Nations artists Carmen Glynn-Braun and Dennis Golding (Re-Right Collective) under Cultural advisors Aunty Phyllis Stewart and Uncle Steven Russel formed a collaborative team who created the artwork themed ‘Follow the glistening of the sun’ which features on the viaduct screens of the Overpass bridge.
A neutral silver colour was selected as a base colour to represent the silver of the mullet. As the natural light shifts during the day, the sun travels along the viaduct reflecting different colours along it, representing the seasons of the year; the blues of the ocean and ochres of the earth. To compliment the thoughtful nature of this artwork and also provide additional orientation for commuters, flecks of golden light shine brightly through the mesh walls. Consistently illuminating and bringing the bridge to life. 1100m of Coolon’s Ratio IP was the perfect solution with its robust nature and superior optical control.
Photography : Jackie Chan
