In Fort Wayne, Indiana, an unexpected building has colorfully changed the city’s skyline for the better: a parking garage. While most parking garages only serve a functional need, the new Skyline Garage also provides an aesthetic appeal that brightens the city’s downtown landscape with a programmable and color-filled lighting scheme.
Situated in the center of Indiana’s second largest city, the $39-million, 1,100-space parking facility is attached to the 100,000 square foot world headquarters of Ash Brokerage Corporation. The six-story garage – five above ground, one below – is the city’s largest development project of its kind in the last 30 years. The city has considered the iconic structure to be an essential downtown growth component and a catalyst for continued urban revitalization.
Unique Lighting Makes Its Mark
“As we planned the structure, we recognized we had the unique opportunity to design a programmable light scheme in Fort Wayne following in the footsteps of the award-winning Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Memorial Bridge on Clinton Street,” said Architect James Hoch, principal at Hoch Associates. “We believed the garage, wrapped in perforated panel with a programmable lighting package, would offer more than 1,000 designs to create a colorful backdrop to the city.”
“We needed to find the right product that would produce nearly 45 feet of color,” Hoch explained. “We also need to install the four-color LED fixtures vertically and program them along the stainless-steel perforated panel. We then had to match existing programming capabilities of the city’s various other lighting projects, including the MLK Bridge, Wells Street Bridge and various underpasses.”
To find the lighting system, Schmidt Electric investigated several lighting systems. The team reviewed a lighting system that could provide precise colors and color changing capabilities to provide intricate lighting schemes for holidays and special occasions such as Christmas, Fourth of July, Breast Cancer Awareness Month and more.
Colorful Solution
After a thorough investigation, the team specified Dyna Graze HO DMX fixtures from Los Angeles-based Acclaim Lighting.
“Each evening, you will see people standing at the garage’s base, taking family photos and selfies to share with friends and family” Hoch said. “For most, what would be an ordinary, functional building that offers a few events has become an experience for the entire city to come and enjoy.”
