Photo: Lioneye Ariels
By MALIA HULLFISH
It All Comes Together Seated at the heart of a 10-acre waterfront park in revitalized downtown Vancouver, Washington, sits the Grant Street Pier. This nautical, but elegant, pedestrian pier cantilevers 90 feet over the Columbia River, with a sculptural mast at its center. With luminaires integrated into the underside, the pier appears as if it is floating. In fact, most of the lights are low-level as to not distract from the beautiful vista looking south over the river towards Oregon. The precise optics illuminating the mast from the landside only contribute further to the dramatic visitor experience.
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— designing lighting
When designing this intimate public gathering space, the lighting team at Fisher Marantz Stone held visitor experience and views with the utmost importance. They wanted to create a breathtaking environment that would keep Vancouver residents – and visitors - coming back week after week. Whether it was to watch the sun rise over the Columbia River or to take a nighttime stroll on the pier, visitors were to frequent the park at all hours of the day. “We had to make sure it offered a safe and pleasant nighttime experience,” said Kevin Frary, one of the team’s lighting designers. The designer team capitalized on the scenic view of the river, complementing it rather than attempting to make the pier and its mast the focal points. “There is a balance between the brightness of
the fixtures and the surfaces where lighting does not interfere with your view of the river—it is a spectacular thing in and of itself,” said Charles Stone, President of Fisher Marantz Stone and one of the contributing lighting designers on the project. In order to accomplish this, the team paid special attention to its fixture selections and mounting locations to minimize spill light. This was necessary not only to maintain the views, but also to preserve the Columbia River’s salmon and avifauna populations. “We had to do some pretty careful calculations and simulations to make sure that the lights under the pier are not shining any light onto the water,” said Frary, “it could distract the salmon or other fish that are migrating, looking to spawn, whatever it is.” Additionally, the team had to consider how the floodlights uplighting the mast may interfere with the migration of birds. In order to reduce the pier’s light pollution, they collaborated with the project’s engineers to devise a tight controls system, as well as a schedule of operations; this also helped minimize energy use.
