The Bridge of Peace (Georgia)
Encyclopedia
The Bridge of Peace is a bow-shaped pedestrian bridge over the Kura River
in Tbilisi
, capital of Georgia
.
with the new district. The official opening took place on May 6, 2010. The bridge stretches over Kura River providing a unique view of Metekhi Church
, Narikala Fortress and statue of city's founder Vakhtang Gorgasali on one side, and Baratashvili Bridge
and Presidential Office
on the other.
s. The roof is fitted with 1,208 custom LED fixtures designed and installed by the Dutch Primo Exposures and RENA Electronica companies, using 6,040 high-power LUXEON Rebel LEDs with 4,200K color temperature
, supplied by Future Lighting Solutions. The glass panels which run along the whole length of the walkway are embedded with linear low-power LED arrays. The lighting is switched on 90 minutes before sunset illuminating Kura River below and buildings on both banks of the river.
The bridge was designed by the Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, who had also designed the buildings of the Presidential Administration of Georgia
and Ministry of Internal Affairs
; the lighting design was created by French lighting designer Philippe Martinaud. The structure of the bridge was built in Italy and transported to Tbilisi in 200 trucks while the lighting was installed on site during the assembly of the structures.
of electricity apiece per hour of operation. They were installed on each triangle of the steel framework which supports the bridge's sea-colored glass roof, giving the whole structure a unique fishnet look. The powerline includes only two wires for 24VDC
power supply and data transmission.
The lighting which is live from 90 minutes before sunset until 90 minutes after sunrise, features four different lighting programs that run on the canopy every hour. At times, the bridge lights up in waves from one side of the river to the other. At other times, the pattern begins with a band of light at either end, continuing from either direction until the light meets in the middle, and fading to black before starting over. The third program starts by lighting the outer fixtures on the roofline, then briefly illuminates the entire canopy before going entirely dark. The fourth program makes the roof twinkle like stars as different groups of fixtures light and dim across the entire bridge length.
Within the bridge walkway, the low-power linear LED arrays embedded in the glass railings are triggered by 240 motion sensors as the pedestrians pass, giving an impression that the bridge lights come on for each person setting foot on the bridge. Additionally, a message in Morse code
that renders the periodic table of elements goes across two parapets every hour. The lights designer Martinaud considers this communication celebration of "life and peace between people".
Kura River
Kura is a river, also known from the Greek as the Cyrus in the Caucasus Mountains. Starting in north-eastern Turkey, it flows through Turkey to Georgia, then to Azerbaijan, where it receives the Aras River as a right tributary, and enters the Caspian Sea...
in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, capital of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
History
The bridge which stretches 150 metres (492.1 ft) over the Kura River, was ordered by the City Hall of Tbilisi with the purpose of creating a contemporary design features connecting Old TbilisiOld Tbilisi
Old Tbilisi is an administrative district in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. Although the term "Old Tbilisi" has long been used to denote a historical part of the city, it was only in 2007 that it became a distinct administrative entity to incorporate several historical neighborhoods formerly...
with the new district. The official opening took place on May 6, 2010. The bridge stretches over Kura River providing a unique view of Metekhi Church
Metekhi
Metekhi is a historic neighborhood of Tbilisi, Georgia, located on the elevated cliff that overlooks the Mtkvari river.- History :The district was one of the earliest inhabited areas on the city’s territory...
, Narikala Fortress and statue of city's founder Vakhtang Gorgasali on one side, and Baratashvili Bridge
Baratashvili Bridge
Baratashvili Bridge is a traffic and pedestrian bridge over the Kura River in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. It was built in 1966 in place of the previously dismantled Mukhrani Bridge honoring Princess Mukhrani.-Design:...
and Presidential Office
Presidential Administration of Georgia
Presidential Administration of Georgia is the executive body of administration of President of Georgia. The office of the Presidential administration is located on the left bank of the Kura River, in the Avlabari district of Tbilisi, Georgia.-History:...
on the other.
Design
The bridge a design of which reminds of a marine animal has a curvy steel and glass canopy top which shimmers with an interactive light display at night, generated by thousands of white LEDLEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s. The roof is fitted with 1,208 custom LED fixtures designed and installed by the Dutch Primo Exposures and RENA Electronica companies, using 6,040 high-power LUXEON Rebel LEDs with 4,200K color temperature
Color temperature
Color temperature is a characteristic of visible light that has important applications in lighting, photography, videography, publishing, manufacturing, astrophysics, and other fields. The color temperature of a light source is the temperature of an ideal black-body radiator that radiates light of...
, supplied by Future Lighting Solutions. The glass panels which run along the whole length of the walkway are embedded with linear low-power LED arrays. The lighting is switched on 90 minutes before sunset illuminating Kura River below and buildings on both banks of the river.
The bridge was designed by the Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, who had also designed the buildings of the Presidential Administration of Georgia
Presidential Administration of Georgia
Presidential Administration of Georgia is the executive body of administration of President of Georgia. The office of the Presidential administration is located on the left bank of the Kura River, in the Avlabari district of Tbilisi, Georgia.-History:...
and Ministry of Internal Affairs
Ministry of Internal Affairs (Georgia)
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia is a state law enforcement agency of the Republic of Georgia.As of 2011 Vano Merabishvili is the minister...
; the lighting design was created by French lighting designer Philippe Martinaud. The structure of the bridge was built in Italy and transported to Tbilisi in 200 trucks while the lighting was installed on site during the assembly of the structures.
The lighting specifics
All 1,208 LED fixtures in the bridge canopy feature louver system designed by Primo Exposures to both direct the beam and conceal the point source. The fixtures measure 6 cm deep, 7 cm high and 19 cm long, including louvers and heat sink and consume just 8WWatt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
of electricity apiece per hour of operation. They were installed on each triangle of the steel framework which supports the bridge's sea-colored glass roof, giving the whole structure a unique fishnet look. The powerline includes only two wires for 24VDC
VDC
VDC is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings:In technology:* Virtual Design and Construction, modeling software and techniques to design and evaluate possible construction processes* Volts of Direct Current...
power supply and data transmission.
The lighting which is live from 90 minutes before sunset until 90 minutes after sunrise, features four different lighting programs that run on the canopy every hour. At times, the bridge lights up in waves from one side of the river to the other. At other times, the pattern begins with a band of light at either end, continuing from either direction until the light meets in the middle, and fading to black before starting over. The third program starts by lighting the outer fixtures on the roofline, then briefly illuminates the entire canopy before going entirely dark. The fourth program makes the roof twinkle like stars as different groups of fixtures light and dim across the entire bridge length.
Within the bridge walkway, the low-power linear LED arrays embedded in the glass railings are triggered by 240 motion sensors as the pedestrians pass, giving an impression that the bridge lights come on for each person setting foot on the bridge. Additionally, a message in Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
that renders the periodic table of elements goes across two parapets every hour. The lights designer Martinaud considers this communication celebration of "life and peace between people".
See also
- Building of the Presidential AdministrationPresidential Administration of GeorgiaPresidential Administration of Georgia is the executive body of administration of President of Georgia. The office of the Presidential administration is located on the left bank of the Kura River, in the Avlabari district of Tbilisi, Georgia.-History:...
- TbilisiTbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
- Architecture of GeorgiaArchitecture of Georgia (country)The Architecture of Georgia refers to a style of architecture found in Georgia.Georgian architecture is influenced by a number of architectural styles, including several each for castles, towers, fortifications and churches...