Desert Rain - phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Project Overview

With the modernization of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, I worked with specifier Corgan on sculptural suspended ceiling installations in both the south concourse (a new build) and in the north concourse (renovation), phase 2 - the Desert Rain project.

In an effort to accommodate the views, provide travelers with a more open, daylight filled space, skylights were added to the existing building structure along the main walkway. The goal of the specifier was to celebrate the surrounding Sonoran Desert landscape, by bringing artistic representations of these natural elements into the airport interior.

I was able to successfully manage both concourse LightArt installations on time and within budget. Additionally, from the knowledge I gained from diving deep into material and manufacturing details on this project, I was able to create an educational presentation (slides + video) that helped inform both the internal LightArt studio employees and external nationwide sale reps, so together we could be more successful in future projects and in communication of Chroma capabilities and pricing.

*Scroll just below the Project Review PDF to review the educational presentation slides and videos.*

PROJECT DETAILS

My Role: Project Manager + Design

Completed: 2020

Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Specifier: Corgan Associates

Photo Credit: Bill Timmerman

(for photos of final installation)

Chroma manufacturing research Videos - Machine vs Flame

Machine Polished

To better understand manufacturing and material capabilities of Chroma,

I self initiated researching and documenting the manufacturing processes of the 3Form Chroma material, during my project development.

Demonstrated in the video is LightArt fabricator Don, using a polishing machine to run through the 2 opposing, non-color film faces of the Chroma peg, to create a patent, polished finish look.

Flame Polished

After realizing challenges in machine polishing larger dimension width Chroma pegs, it became necessary to polish the faces using a handheld torch, as demonstrated in the video by LightArt artisan James.

After looking at the clocked manufacturing time on this job for the different processes, it became necessary to create a more detailed pricing structure for future projects.

*See Chroma Peg presentation slides above for more detailed info on my research and results*