Feb 22, 2012 Friedrich St.Florian Architects Tim DeCoster, Jeff Claire, Julie Mazella www.fstflorian.com/tryon.html Charlotte, North Carolina - United States Odeh Engineers, Inc LandDesign, Charlotte Other
The Tryon Street Bridge is an important point of entry into uptown Charlotte. There is a sense of theatrical splendor that radiates from the assembly of high rise buildings seen from the bridge. The view appears as a stage set while crossing this key threshold. This new set of portals is a framing device that offers focus and compression not unlike the opening of the curtain upon the first act of a lyric opera.
Symbolic curtains celebrate this moment of arrival. Protective canopies and support towers complement the floating curtains. The canopies recall portals and entrances, forms that we associate with points of arrival.
Luminous “curtains” made of solid cast acrylic are lit from above and below by light emitting diodes. Glass bead-blasted stainless steel which acts as a reflector is attached to an inner support structure.
