NEW BRITAIN BRIDGE BEE SCULPTURE
Architect:
Completion:
Status:
Project Role:
Svigals + Partners
2019
Completed
architectural designer
The project features a bridge renovation with the overall design reference to the city’s seal, which features a beehive and bees and a phrase that translates from Latin to say “Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey.” Book-ending the bridge are four 11 ft bee sculptures which have a strong yet whimsical character. At night, they glow with internal LED illumination. A 12’ beehive sculpture - a tribute to New Britain’s city seal - anchors the center of the bridge.
Digital Modeling
When it comes to architecturally-integrated art,
a combination of physical and digital modeling is essential to the design process. The use of Rhino allowed us to quickly develop, test, and template sculptural forms in 3D before building physical models in paper, metal, and resin. Rhino was used for early development of the sculptural elements which then moved to Revit for project documentation.
Construction Process
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The team worked closely with the fabricators on the
sculptural elements final detailing including custom assemblies and joints. Because Rhino parametric models were developed with a high
level of precision, our files
were a valuable resource for fabrication team, cutting down on development time for the fabrication engineers, ultimately lowering the cost of the project.
