About
Adjacent to the MetroLink station and Triangle Park, Fog Walls consists of a curved set of 10 stainless steel, hollow panels. During the day the panels stand quietly between the MetroLink Station and the Scottrade Center. On select nights, they illuminate with a spectrum of colors and produce “fog” (steam and water vapor), creating an ethereal effect.
Forming a semicircle in the streetside plaza area in front of the Scottrade Center, theFog Walls are most distinctive at night when the fog at the center and the colored light at the edges merge in a magic blur, a radiating presence slightly obscured by the perforated scrim of the plates that comprise each wall. Responsible for the design of Triangle Park in its entirety, Peter Walker and Partners (PWP) state, “The Fog Wallsframe the edges of the plaza and capture the space, giving it a sense of closure. The fog and lighting add another dimension to the space and move people along as intended.”
The piece is made of a bank of 10 walls, each 15 feet high by 14 feet wide by 2 feet deep. They create a curved arc of colored light enhanced by fog or water mist. During the winter, the fog is created in a boiler heated by steam from the St. Louis City steam plant. In the summer, the fog is a cool mist created by the same atomized water technology used by orchards to prevent bud damage during a freeze and by restaurants in hot climates to cool patio guests. Only a few companies have the capability for vapor mist technology, and without this purification process the fog-producing nozzles would clog with minerals and malfunction.
Each wall has a series of five compact fluorescent fixtures mounted vertically on the edges for a total of 200 bulbs. Colored gels over the bulbs create the desired hue. The combinations and synchronizations allow for special color themes to coordinate with holidays and sports events.
Courtesy of Metro Arts in Transit.
Dimensions: 14′ x 15′ x 2′
Year Completed: 1999-2001
Material: Steel, stainless steel, fluorescent lights, water
Owner: Gateway Foundation
Donor: Gateway Foundation
