B0ston – Shawmut Design and Construction has completed the installation of the latest addition to Boston’s art scene, a half-acre aerial sculpture designed by world-renowned artist Janet Echelman that hangs over the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
The net sculpture was made from colorful fibers that are 15 times stronger than steel and includes more than 100 miles of twine and over half a million knots. Shawmut installed the net sculpture by orchestrating six cranes in unison over the course of 20 hours to make precise connections to the four attachment points at One International Place, 125 High Street, and the InterContinental Hotel.
Shawmut facilitated the give-and-take that allowed the sculpture to float as high as 365 feet above the ground and span 600 feet over the Greenway.
Greenway Echelman Sculpture / rendering by Benjamin Johnson, Shawmut Design and Construction
The team worked with engineers and construction staff to plan the installation, from determining the force needed for each attachment point to ensuring the sculpture could withstand 50,000 pounds of force from winds up to 105 mph.
Shawmut also worked with the city-approved lighting technician to install 44 individually programmed custom LED lights to illuminate the sculpture at night.
“Installing this sculpture was as complex as building a high-rise,” said Micah O’Neil, senior project manager at Shawmut.
Shawmut collaborated with the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Studio Echelman, Arup, and Autodesk to overcome challenges and make the process as efficient and seamless as possible.
The sculpture will remain suspended above the Rose Kennedy Greenway until October 2015.
