Albuquerque?EUR??,,????'???s Big I Landscape

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??,,????'??shows?EUR??,,????'?? that enhance the lighting experience. The LEDs are ground-mounted in custom-built enclosures to reduce vandalism. The outer colonnades, which are octagonal, have one fixture per face on six sides of the column. ?EUR??,,????'??The ?EUR??,,????'??hot spot?EUR??,,????'??? of the fixtures progressively gets higher as the light wraps around the columns, adding a sense of movement,?EUR??,,????'?? explains Gregory Miller, ASLA. Looking at the two ?EUR??,,????'??dark?EUR??,,????'?? faces, there?EUR??,,????'???s a glowing effect from the spill from the adjacent faces (apparent in the nearest colonnade). The middle colonnade has two fixtures on each of its eight faces, which creates the effect that the columns glow from within.
Photos: Robert Reck

"The Big I?EUR??,,????'?? is the popular name for the I-25 and I-40 interchange. This 100-acre setting near downtown Albuquerque is the most visible landscape in the state. The design celebrates the forms, rhythms, materials and cultural imagery distinctive to New Mexicans. The landscape makes an indelible impression on locals and cross-country travelers alike. With widespread visibility and huge physical presence, the Big I was the perfect opportunity to implement comprehensive sustainable practices.

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??,,????'??foothills gardens.?EUR??,,????'?? The middle ground shows sweeping forms expressed in plants and gravel.

The following goals shaped the project:

1. Create a recognizable and beautiful landscape, reflective of the physical, cultural, and urban identity of the city
   and state.
   
2. Create a landscape that relates to the varied viewsheds, topography, orientation and driver experiences found throughout the Big I.
   
3. Create a landscape that incorporates local artwork and lighting as integral elements.
   
4. Create a landscape with minimal environmental impact, including green building techniques, materials and maintenance practices.
   
5. 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??,,????'???s geologic setting, our early agricultural heritage and the city?EUR??,,????'???s emergence as a forward thinking community.

Theme One

The first theme is influenced by canyon ?EUR??,,????'??foothills gardens,?EUR??,,????'?? reflecting the natural drainage patterns that flow over the rock strata. Gabion retaining walls and grading on the steep slopes along the frontage roads create planting pockets and drainage swales in patterns similar to those found in nearby foothills settings. The gravel transitions in color, reinforcing the visual reflection of the escarpment geology.

The stone ?EUR??,,????'??sweep and pylon?EUR??,,????'?? art feature is lite externally and interiorly by Illumivision Light Wave LX fixtures.

Theme Two

Theme two is influenced by the linear orchards found along arroyos that flow east-west from the nearby mountains. These ?EUR??,,????'??village?EUR??,,????'?? orchards are formal arrangements of spring flowering fruit trees in compact linear patterns in the narrow medians along I-40. The orchards integrate the existing inverted crown drainage system, which mimics the natural streams that run between the orchards. This arrangement creates rhythm defined at the finite scale by patterns of plants and the pulsing of positive and negative spaces throughout the corridor.

This photo shows the approach to the colonnades from the west. They?EUR??,,????'???re visible to travelers for approximately 15 seconds. All the programmed color change shows are timed so that you see the entire show.

Theme Three

Theme three is influenced by the contemporary, sweeping forms created by the interchange?EUR??,,????'???s roadways and flyovers, a visually striking expression of sculptural concrete. Vaulting arcs supported by rhythmic columns create a dynamic display of form and function. These forms are reflected in the landscape as sweeps of vegetation, artwork and ground-plane treatment experienced along the main interstate roadways. The forms emphasize clean lines, bold materials and quick, easy interpretation.

?EUR??,,????'??Icon wall?EUR??,,????'?? artworks, which combine steel and stone, are located at the intersections of the four primary frontage roads. The fixtures are LED Light Wave LX (Illumivision) and operated by a Wireless DMX controller, also from Illumivision. The cut-out patterns of this wall artwork relate to the pueblo-deco style that is highly recognizable in Albuquerque.

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??,,????'??wash?EUR??,,????'?? to enhance the depth of lighting in perspective view. These fixtures are also LED Light Wave LX from Illumivision. Blue light on the rock surface makes the gabions glow. The blue also relates the ground plane to the colored bands on the sides of the fly-overs.

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??,,????'??sweep and pylon?EUR??,,????'?? (left), gabion lighting (on the slopes) and column lighting (right). An ?EUR??,,????'??icon wall?EUR??,,????'?? is also just barely visible just to the right of the pylon. ?EUR??,,????'??To the traveler passing through, the lighting reinforces the story of the landscape,?EUR??,,????'?? says the landscape architect. ?EUR??,,????'??It highlights focal points within the large context of the interchange. It?EUR??,,????'???s also something that repeat travelers discover as they pass through the different directions and on the frontage roads. There?EUR??,,????'???s a lot of ?EUR??,,????'??Wow, I never saw that before!?EUR??,,????'????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??,,????'???s primary objectives have consistently provided innovative design and sustainable solutions to project requirements. The firm has a keen sense of the long history of landscape architecture in the Southwest. Its practice extends throughout the region.

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??,,????'??? Art installations