Massive $1.2-million Spinning Chandelier installed under Granville Bridge (PHOTOS)

The Spinning Chandelier sculpture installed on the underside of the Granville Bridge next to Vancouver House. November 20, 2019. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

A kinetic public art sculpture — weighing 7,500 lbs, and measuring 26 ft in height and 14 ft in width — now hovers high above Beach Avenue on the underside of the north end of the Granville Street Bridge in downtown.

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Crews have raised up the giant Spinning Chandelier to its position, and are now in the final steps of installing and testing the components ahead of next week’s public unveiling event.

The $1.2-million permanent public art piece is part of local developer Westbank’s public realm enhancements for the area surrounding its Vancouver House tower redevelopment, which is now nearing full completion.

The Spinning Chandelier sculpture installed on the underside of the Granville Bridge next to Vancouver House. November 20, 2019. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

At fixed times twice a day, the chandelier will descend, then release and spin rapidly before returning to its starting position. LED lamps will illuminate the sculpture’s 600 polyurethane faux crystals during nighttime hours.

Local artist Rodney Graham is behind the design, which is inspired by his 2005 35-mm-film installation Torqued Chandelier Release, depicting an 18th-century crystal chandelier after it is “wound up on a rope and released.”

Vancouver city council approved the public art piece’s installation in 2015. With the city’s approval, Westbank then contracted Washington State-based Walla Walla Foundry to design and manufacturer the sculpture, which was a three-year-long process. The developer is covering the full cost of designing, manufacturing, installing, and maintaining the sculpture.

The on-site public unveiling event on Wednesday, November 27 runs between 6:30 pm and 8 pm, with the big reveal — showcasing the sculpture’s motion — scheduled for approximately 6:30 pm. There will also be food trucks and live entertainment.

The Spinning Chandelier sculpture installed on the underside of the Granville Bridge next to Vancouver House. November 20, 2019. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

Extensive public realm treatment under the bridge and between Vancouver House’s three buildings, turning the space into a pedestrian-oriented and event-friendly space, will activate the area, providing a new southern anchor for Granville Street on the downtown peninsula.

This space will be further activated by 85,000 sq. ft. of ground-level retail and restaurant space, including London Drugs, Fresh St. Market grocery store, and Momofuku Noodle Bar. Five permanent container shipping retail units will also be placed at the entrances into this new public space.

Construction nearing completion on Vancouver House. November 20, 2019. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

Within the two triangular podium buildings, 90,000 sq. ft. of office space will be furnished into academic space for University Canada West. Approximately 3,400 students are expected to study at this new campus, effectively creating regular foot traffic for the area.

The residential portion of the project contains 375 market condominiums and 105 market rental homes.

To achieve a larger floor area within its tight footprint next to the bridge, Vancouver House’s landmark 493-ft-tall, 49-storey tower begins as a 6,000-sq-ft triangular base and transitions into a 14,000-sq-ft rectangular building as it rises. It is one of the two gateway towers into downtown conceptualized by the municipal government for the north end of the bridge.

Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group is behind the design of the $750-million redevelopment.

Construction nearing completion on Vancouver House. November 20, 2019. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)

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