The Prow is a four-dimensional experiential LED light installation located within the multi-level stair atrium of the Hudson Yards office of the Time Warner Corporation in Manhattan. This project was led by the innovative team at ESI Design in collaboration with Parallel Development for its design, programming, fabrication, and execution. CRAFT provided the structural design of the completed assembly and component parts, taking into consideration the unique nature of the site conditions.
The installation relies on hundreds of oval-shaped circuit boards that contain over 300,000 programmable LED lights around their perimeter. The circuit boards’ geometry allows the lights to hang in a canted orientation from an array of copper rods mounted to the structure of the atrium ceiling above. In addition to their structural employment, the copper rods also provide low voltage power to each circuit board. The resulting effect is a four-dimensional canvas for display and advertising.
Although the copper cables provide hanging support for the installation, the main structural achievement was the system for lateral stabilization. This was accomplished through an array of tensioned cables intended to limit sway. Maintaining tension while allowing for the differential vertical and horizontal movements of each floor level became the biggest challenge, especially when considering the sculpture’s 65-ft height that spanned between the 29th and 35th floors.
To brace the installation against lateral motion and increase the natural frequency of the structure out of the range of human or wind-born excitation, the cables were tuned to a precise tension. Additionally, an array of polyurethane springs located within a telescoping base assembly maintains necessary tension despite the differential movement of the floors at attachment locations.
PROJECT TEAM
Artist: ESI Design, Fabricator: Parallel Development
