Bethlehem Christmas Trellis

To kick off the holiday season, SFA worked with volunteers at Payrow Plaza to construct the city’s inaugural Christmas City Trellis. The idea was envisioned by SFA in response to the Citizens Christmas City Committee challenge, “Will you be able to raise money to support the purchase of energy efficient, pre-strung, artificial Christmas trees?” The Trellis project will do just that, by displaying and selling ornaments as part of a new, annual holiday attraction.

The Trellis is made of three major components: the frame, the chimes, and the personalized ornaments. Each year a different artist will design the ornaments and presentation to encourage renewed donations. To accommodate this arrangement, the frame is modular so future installations can grow and vary as desired. The 2015 ornaments are inspired by fusing the shapes and characteristics of two familiar holiday symbols: a star and a candle.

The team decided an acoustic installation best resonated with the brief because the sound serves as another layer of ornamentation. Of course, an important consideration for chimes is that they need to be musical. Salvatore Verrastro, a principal at SFA explains, “We didn’t want the Trellis chimes to make noise; we wanted it to create and build harmony. A significant amount of research went into how we could specifically design each of the chimes to sound a note within a complex chord. If the wind plays the chimes, the notes will sound intentional, and visitors can experiment with the chimes to create a song.”

The Trellis was unveiled during the Bethlehem Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. Of course, you’re all invited to visit until January 10^th. Big shout out to everyone involved from SFA including Christie, Elliot, Vanessa, Dan Silberman, Clint, and Sal!

Thank you to all of our collaborators and partners who played an integral role in the success of the Trellis:

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce
Brey Krause
Citizens Christmas City Committee
City of Bethlehem
Szoke Brothers, Inc.
Waitz Corporation

SFA News - SteelStacks Wins Global Award of Excellence

We are excited to announce that Urban Land Institute (ULI) has selected the SteelStacks Arts and Cultural Campus as a recipient of their 2014 Global Awards for Excellence.  

(credit Paul Warchol Photography Inc.)

The SteelStacks campus is a 10-acre campus dedicated to promoting arts and culture in Bethlehem, PA. The SteelStacks campus recently won a Willard G. “Bill” Rouse Award for Excellence from ULI’s Philadelphia chapter, and was named a finalist for the Global Awards in June of this year along with 23 other projects worldwide. The campus includes developments such as Levitt Pavilion, the ArtsQuest Center, the Visitor's Center, and PBS39.

Spillman Farmer’s work designing the ArtsQuest Center is not only an integral piece of the SteelStacks campus, but also a key component in the revitalization of the abandoned Bethlehem Steel property. The ArtsQuest Center has achieved much success since its completion in 2009, receiving accolades such as a Silver Medal from the American Institute of Architects’ Pennsylvania Chapter, an A+ Award in Architecture and Urban Transformation from Architizer, and recognition as a Top 5 Cultural Building of the Year by ArchDaily.

(credit Paul S. Bartholomew Photography)

In total, 13 projects from around the world were recognized as recipients of the 2014 Global Awards for Excellence, six of which are located in North America. SteelStacks is the only North American project located on the East Coast. According to the ULI website, each of the winning projects exemplifies a “high standard of excellence in design, construction, economics, planning, and management.”

The Urban Land Institute is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 32,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. Head over to ULI’s website to see the full list of winners.

More information:
Urban Land Institute

SteelStacks Campus Buildings:
ArtsQuest Center, Spillman Farmer Architects
Levitt Pavilion, Wallace Roberts and Todd
PBS 39, URS
Bethlehem Visitor's Center, Legacy Architecture & USA Architects

The SteelStacks Team:
Spillman Farmer Architects
Wallace Roberts and Todd
URS
Legacy Architecture
USA Architects
Artefact
L'Observetoir
Boyle Construction
Alvin H. Butz, Inc.
Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority