Birmingham Flight Sequence
Agency
Lorenc/Yoo Design
Practice Area
Client
City of Birmingham
Industry
Project Vision
The Birmingham Flight Sequence is a half mile sequence of flight integrated into the landscape design to form a unified seamless progression. As part of a major facility improvement at Birmingham Airport, the City of Birmingham recognized the need to improve the approach to the airport to improve the city’s image. The original approach consisted of broken sidewalk, tattered chainlink fence and rental car lots that stretched the entire length of airport highway. Now, while traveling along airport highway, you encounter the interchange landscaping which continues along the parkway until the next sequence begins. This sequential “paper airplane” imagery is integrated into the powerful yet simple landscape that “moves with you” as one travels to and from the airport. During the day, the sun moves across the forms highlighting, shadowing and warming the afternoon vision while at night the opposite is seen — the underbelly and the edges are highlighting different views of the individual forms. The lighting is mercury (blue) which contrasts the high pressure sodium (orange) glow of the parkway lights.
Project Details
This project successfully communicates the sensation of aerodynamic beauty of flight. This series of abstract sculptural forms creates a visually exciting and artful approach to the airport both day and night. Providing a series of forms, rather than just one, relates the sculpture appropriately to the graceful animation one sees while watching a plane take off. The designer has taken advantage of the long vehicle approach and juxtaposed these modern forms against a stark, natural setting.
Design Team
Jan Lorenc, Chung Youl Yoo, Gaelle Husson
Design Firm
Lorenc/Yoo Design
Project Area
1/2 mile
Consultants
PBS+J/HOH (landscape architecture), Ramon Luminensce Design, Uzon + Case
Fabricators
Architectural Image Manufacturers