Page 80 - ArchitectureDC_Spring2015

Beautifying a Boulevard Project: Arlington Boulevard, Arlington, VA

Another newly completed public project that incorporates Artist: Vicki Scuri
local trees in its design is Arlington Boulevard by Vicki Scuri. Partners: Virginia Department of Transportation; Arlington
The work was done in conjunction with a transportation
project along Arlington Boulevard/Route 50 that replaced County; AECOM; Flippo Construction; Rhino Arts;
two bridges, reconstructed several interchanges and and Color Kinetics
access roads, and improved pedestrian and bicycle paths.
A Washington State-based artist and collaborator, Scuri Lighted grills of the Arlington Boulevard project.
focuses her work on public art, specializing in infra-
structure and urban design. Her process and completed
designs are tactile and site-specific, relating to the history
and culture of the project’s location.

Scuri chose to use the heart-shaped leaves and
seedpods of the redbud tree that were growing in the
area as inspiration for Arlington Boulevard. Scuri says she
wanted a “classical but contemporary and cutting-edge”
design that is experiential, restorative, and gives a lift to
those passing by. The textured concrete designs of the
redbud leaves along the walls, as well as the LED-backlit
grills that gradually change color over a 15-minute period,
aim to improve the mood of locals on their daily com-
mute. According to Scuri, Arlington Boulevard was one of
the first public art projects to be initiated in a high-traffic
zone in the area. She “hopes that it will inspire [more of]
this kind of work on the east coast.”

78 PUBLIC ART Photo © Vicki Scuri