Martha Schwartz
36th Street Wall

Location: N.W. 36th Street, Miami International Airport
Design build team:  Howard Needles Tammen & Bergendoff  Architects, Engineers, Planners; Corwil Architects, Inc.; H.J. Ross Associates, Inc.; Delant Construction Co.
Date:  Project completed in 1996

Colored glass and sunlight are used to enliven the mile-long sound attenuation wall along NW 36th Street at the northern boundary of the Miami International Airport.
Separating the airport from two adjacent neighborhoods, the wall is constructed
of precast concrete panels and ranges in height from 20 to 35 feet. The design
task was to make a concrete barrier wall that was visually pleasing to area residents and passersby and served as a functional barrier between the airport and the residential area.

Because the wall faces north, the facade along NW 36th Street is consistently cast in shadow throughout the day. For this reason, solutions such as painting or appliquéing the wall with a bas-relief were rejected. Instead, in the final design, the sun is used to create vivid colors and energize the barrier wall. Holes inset with colored glass were punched between the steel reinforcing bars of the wall and allow the sun to create circles of colored light. Six different panels were designed to create the appearance of a random pattern. By reshaping the top of the wall and regrading the landscape at its base, the sound wall undulates down the mile-long stretch of roadway. At the entrance to the airport, the holes are organized into a grid-like pattern. This change in the placement of the colored glass makes the holes appear to pulsate and implies motion.

Schwartz is an artist/landscape architect who explores the relationship between
art, culture, and landscape in many site-specific public art installations
throughout the country.

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