Landscape Architect Articles

Luminous Passage at McKinley Village Way Underpass04-13-18 | Feature

"Luminous Passage" at McKinley Village Way Underpass, Sacramento
Lighting by Sestak Lighting Design

The "Luminous Passage" at McKinley Village Way Underpass in Sacramento is the starting point for the McKinley Village Art Walk, a collaborative effort of the McKinley Village development team and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. It will ultimately feature 10 art installations by local artists throughout the neighborhood.

On February 13 at 5:45 p.m., Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and City Councilman Jeff Harris were part of the dedication ceremonies for the new McKinley Village Way Underpass. The dedication showcased the dynamic, multicolor light show by the underpass's state of the art LED effects.

McKinley Village Way Underpass connects McKinley Village, Sacramento's newest urban neighborhood with the historic McKinley Park/East Sacramento neighborhood. McKinley Village opened to the public in September 2016 (https://mckinleyvillage.com/). It comprises 336 homes, 16 model homes open to the public, a community clubhouse/pool, some common green spaces and a community garden. McKinley Village is co-developed by New Home and Riverview. The first of five parks, Alan and Helen Post Park, has been completed. The community was co-developed by The New Home Co., and Riverview Capital Investments.

Sacramento lighting designer Michael Sestak won the 2017 "Gold Award' for the best outdoor commercial lighting project from the Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals (AOLP) for his multicolor LED lighting of the McKinley Village Way Underpass in Sacramento. AOLP presents awards in seven categories, with the Gold Award being the top honor in each category. (See other AOLP Gold awardees)

The underpass's distinctive lighting not only creates a dynamic urban space but also provides abundant light for pedestrians, bicyclists and pedestrians.

In addition to serving as the entrance to McKinley Village, the underpass is the starting point for the McKinley Village Art Walk, a public art display that will feature 10 art installations by local artists throughout the McKinley Village residential neighborhood. The McKinley Village Art Walk (https://tinyurl.com/yawdocn5) is a collaboration of the McKinley Village development team and the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission.

Working with the McKinley Village development team, lighting designer Michael Sestak (www.sestaklightingdesign.com) created signature lighting effects that can cast variable color patterns on the ceiling of the underpass, while also bathing the 12 underpass columns in light. (See video of the lighting @ https://vimeo.com/212857575). The LEDs are fully programmable to change colors and lighting effects via DMX controllers. This 2.5-year project incorporated extensive design skills, electrical knowledge for municipal projects, IES roadway lighting codes and the ability to work with a large team of civil engineers and city officials. All the wiring conduits were cast-in-place along with the massive internal rebar structure for the bridge. A custom template was made to precisely identify each conduit termination.

From Pastry Chef to Lighting Designer
The underpass lighting is the design of Michael Sestak, a Sacramento lighting designer. Curiously, Sestak previously had a career as a pastry chef specializing in imaginative pastry creations, apprenticing at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel when he was only 18. He relocated to Sacramento in 1986 to serve as pastry chef for the new Hyatt at Capital Park, and later took his pastry skills to Mace's, Biba's and Ettore's European Bakery.

Long fascinated by lighting in various forms, Sestak acquired a California Contractors C-10 license and develop his technical knowledge of lighting design through courses sponsored by SMUD and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, then opened Sestak Lighting Design (www.sestaklightingdesign.com) in Sacramento in 2000. In addition to general architectural lighting design, his services include custom fixture design, facade illumination and landscape illumination. He works in the commercial and residential realms. Sestak recently won top honors from the Association of Landscape Lighting Designers for lighting of Sacramento's historic old Governor's Mansion. Working with the McKinley Village development team, Sestak created signature lighting effects that can cast variable color patterns on the ceiling of the underpass, while also bathing the 12 underpass columns in light. This LED installation is fully programmable to change colors and lighting effects. (See video of the lighting @ https://vimeo.com/212857575)