Landscape Architect Articles

Albuquerque‚Äö?Ñ????ë?¬•s Big I Landscape04-02-10 | News

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by Gregory Miller, ASLA, Morrow Reardon Wilkinson Miller, Ltd.

The panorama of the Big I Interchange at dusk shows the lighting that creates a dynamic gateway along I-40. LED ColorBlast fixtures from Philips Color Kinetics uplight the colonnades and the underside of the bridge deck. An Iplayer, also from Philips Color Kinetics, controls the lighting, scrolling through various programs and playing different LED ?EUR??,,????'?????< Photos: Robert Reck

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This view shows the steel sweeps (foreground), the column lighting (middle ground) and the blue gabion lighting (background). We see the relationship between the burst and dissipation of the wash lights and the arcing pattern in the cutouts. The trees on the slope by the colonnades are up lit. All the lights for the project are LED fixtures. The foreground shows the gravel forms associated with the ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The following goals shaped the project:

Create a recognizable and beautiful landscape, reflective of the physical, cultural, and urban identity of the city
and state.

Create a landscape that relates to the varied viewsheds, topography, orientation and driver experiences found throughout the Big I.

Create a landscape that incorporates local artwork and lighting as integral elements.

Create a landscape with minimal environmental impact, including green building techniques, materials and maintenance practices.

Create a landscape safe to install and maintain.

To accomplish these goals, the design integrates three guiding themes that have shaped the identity of the city. These themes reveal and interpret Albuquerque?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Theme One

The first theme is influenced by canyon ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Theme Two

Theme two is influenced by the linear orchards found along arroyos that flow east-west from the nearby mountains. These ?EUR??,,????'?????<

This photo shows the approach to the colonnades from the west. They?EUR??,,????'?????<

Theme Three

Theme three is influenced by the contemporary, sweeping forms created by the interchange?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Four Phases, Five Years

Implemented in four phases over a span of five years at a cost of $12 million, the Big I Landscape is the single largest landscape project undertaken by Albuquerque. This sequential construction created a continued buzz of excitement as the community anticipated fresh views taking form at each new phase of development.

Lighting is staggered on gabions in the ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Sustainable Site Development

The Big I Landscape improves upon the interchange in aesthetically delightful ways, while upgrading environmental conditions. The design incorporated several key sustainable site development practices:

Approximately 85 percent of the mass of the gabions is rock harvested from within the project site.

Storm water from the roadways is captured in vegetated bio-swales and detention ponds.

Native and naturalized species of trees and shrubs provide shade, sequester carbon and sulfur, produce oxygen, control erosion and reduce airborne pollutants.

The majority of materials came from sources within 50 miles of the project site.

The irrigation is a low-flow bubbler system with flow control technology that eliminates loss associated with line breaks.

The steel artwork is made from a minimum of 30 percent recycled content steel.

The lighting is all LED fixtures for maximum effect with minimum energy consumption.

Lighting is a key component of the overall composition of the landscape. The design includes wash lighting on gabion walls, up-lighting of trees and bridge columns and internal and back-lighting of art features. Color punctuates key view-sheds within the interchange, creating focal points with bursts of light. The lighting also reinforces the sense of movement and dynamic quality of the bridge structures and landscape.

A panorama of the multiple lighting solutions shows how they are integrated throughout the Big I.: a stone ?EUR??,,????'?????<

About the Firm

Morrow Reardon Wilkinson Miller, Ltd., landscape architects in Albuquerque, N.M., led the design team for the Big I interchange project. The firm?EUR??,,????'?????<

Project: The Big I Landscape

MRWM Project Team
Lead Landscape Architect: Gregory Miller, ASLA
Landscape Architects: Brian Verardo, ASLA,
Baker Morrow, FASLA
Landscape Designer: Will Moses, Associate ASLA
Construction Observer: Larry Massingale

Client/Owner: City of Albuquerque
Mayor Richard Berry
Former Mayor Martin Ch??????vez
CoA Project Manager: Barbara Taylor
CoA Construction Manager: Robert Ramirez

Client/Owner: State of New Mexico
Gov. Bill Richardson
NM DOT District 3, Tony Abbo
NM DOT District 3, Chris Sanchez

Lead Consultant
Morrow Reardon Wilkinson Miller, Ltd.
Albuquerque, N.M.

Subconsultants
Civil Engineering: URS Corp.
Electrical Engineering: Hughes Design Inc.
Artist: Greg Reiche

Lighting Representatives / Designers
Resource Lighting:
Andrew Feldman, Tom Curtis, Brad Gibbs
RKL Lighting: Kevin Burke

Contractors
Mountain West GolfScapes, Inc.
Lee Landscapes, Inc.

Subcontractors
Northridge Electric
CMY Inc. ?EUR??,,????'?????<