Light Portal : Boston Architecture

Light Portal 1995-2007, Boston, MA, USA Client: Central Artery Tunnel Authority, Boston Design: JCDA Architect of Record: Childs Bertman Tseckares Engineer: Bechtel/Parsons/Brinkerhoff As part of the positive urban transformation placing Interstate Highway 93 underground, the Light Portal marks the datum line through which the nine lane highway descends from the Zakim Bridge into the Central Artery Tunnel. JCDA designed a shaped concrete retaining wall from which five hundred metal fins coated with a printed micro prism film reflect light back to its source. This phenomenon makes each fin glow under low light conditions and luminously react to the headlights of the cars entering and leaving the tunnel. This phenomenon primarily highlights the paths that connect pedestrians to the Charles River, Boston Harbor and Boston's Greenway while simultaneously heightening the experience of transition experienced by the motorists. Light Portal photographs © Andreas Keller Light Portal images / information from James Carpenter Design Associates Inc 120109