Client: Armour Group

Overview

Tidal Beacon by Ned Kahn at Halifax’s Queens Marque, is transformational, responding to tides, weather, and surrounding environment. Light rises and falls within the structure, culminating in a 12-minute event at high and low tides.

Heavy was tasked by developer Armour Group to curate, develop and build the signature art piece for the Queen’s Marque development located at the foot of George Street, in the centre of Downtown Halifax and the historic Halifax Harbour.

Ned Kahn’s Tidal Beacon concept was chosen as the preferred direction for this dramatic piece, after Armour and Heavy reviewed a long list of artists from across the globe. Tidal Beacon is a tower clad with a kinetic skin that ripples in the wind and sparkles like water, while illuminated from within by lights that grow and diminish with fluctuations in the Atlantic Ocean tide.

Goals

Heavy’s goal for Tidal Beacon was to deliver an exceptional, engaging feature to the Halifax waterfront. Our main priority was to ensure the client received a world-class kinetic sculpture that would redefine the city skyline and welcome both residents and visitors alike. From start to finish, Heavy worked closely with the developer and the artist to ensure the result exceeded expectations.

Process

With the concept selected, Heavy developed a strategy for executing the piece by exploring materiality, geometry, and design details as required. Using a mix of galvanized and stainless steel, reflective ACM panels, a stainless-steel tension cable grid and polycarbonate flappers, Heavy ensured every step of the project lifecycle was turnkey. As the piece was installed on the end of a wharf, the installation constraints were particularly challenging, and Heavy was able to develop an installation plan to suit.

Additional Information

The feature is comprised of 3200 individual pieces of hardware, 1400 linear feet of suspension cable and 1800 custom cast polycarbonate flapper components. The tower is backlit by a programmable custom lighting fixture.