The $32 million, 3-acre Frankie Pace Park includes walkways, bike paths, raised garden beds, permeable lawn areas and rain gardens for storm water management, an amphitheater and education area, and other public amenities. Modular International’s challenge was to manufacture six, 16-ft-tall upright Totems with incorporated lighting elements while meeting requirements for three different fixture styles, two of which featured rotating tables for ADA accessibility. These Totems serve as a decorative lighting focal point for the new park, which is located across the street from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.
“Modular International’s involvement, creativity, and recommendations in taking our custom details to reality was a great experience,” said Dan McDowell, senior associate at landscape architecture firm LaQuatra Bonci Associates. “The suggestions brought to the table enhanced the original design and allowed the Totems to become iconic park features.”
Illuminating each fixture is a 4-W, round IP67-rated uplight producing 386 lumens at 3000K with a 1-ft diameter and 316 marine-grade stainless steel top cap.
Photo: Modular International Inc.
The staging area housed parts and components. All raw materials were domestically sourced during the fabrication of the Totem fixtures.
Photo: Modular International, Inc.
Three different configurations of Totems were produced, each featuring a tapered 9-ft, 11.5-in. section of perforated stainless steel with a laser-cut, custom heat burnished braided pattern. Fully assembled, each fixture weighs over a ton.
An original rendering of the project.
Rendering: LaQuatra Bonci Associates