Refinement of Design and Technical Response Summary
Light
During daylight, the light of Ireland's sky over Dublin, the streetscape and its people will be softly
reflected in the stainless steel surface of the cone monument. From its base up to about 4m, the
stainless steel will be polished in an abstract design to provide a slightly higher reflective surface
than the remainder of the cone. All of the external stainless steel surface will be shot peened.
From dusk, the lower two thirds of the monument's stainless steel surface will be softly lit.
The tip of the monument will be illuminated.
Height and Elegance
The proportions of the initial design of a stainless steel cone 120 metres high from ground level
and 3 metres in diameter at its base is confirmed.
Reflecting the climate
The upper part of the monument's gentle sway in direct response to the wind reflecting the
character of its climate, landscape and people is confirmed. However, the initial proposed
movement of +/- 1m has been reassessed, and the monument's tip will sway up to a maximum of
+/- 2.5m under 30 year return extreme wind loading.
The Monument
We confirm that The Light Monument is a cone 120 metres high made of rolled stainless steel
sheet. The stainless steel is shot peened to give a surface which will reflect, softly, the changing
light of the sky, and be maintenance tree. (The shot peening is a two stage process - the first pass
with stainless steel beads, and the second pass with 1 mm glass beads).
The stainless steel sheet has increased in thickness. It will vary in thickness from 3Omm at its base
to 1Omm at the top. As a result there is no longer a need for internal reinforced horizontal rings of
flat stainless steel between the segments.
We can confirm that the finish of the entire cone will be flush. with no weld lines visible.
The tip of the monument
The luminous tip of the monument has been increased in length from 3 to 12 metres. The material
will be a specially patterned perforation of stainless steel illuminated by a 2kW searchlight within
the cone, located 50 metres above ground level. The lamp is accessible for maintenance.
The last 50Omm of the tip will be made from optical glass.
The base of the monument
The Light Monument cone will pass through a 7 metre. diameter circular base of Kilkenny black
marble. The change from white Wicklow granite to the black marble was made in order to better
present reflections and the pulsed mercury, and to dive the monument a visually stronger base.
We confirm the incorporation of a raised Celtic spiral machined into the marble surface. We
propose that this spiral will be hand drawn and transferred as a template to the stonemasons.
Mercury will be pulsed onto the surface of the marble from the perimeter, and will flow towards the
cone. There will be five zones corresponding to the protective glass joints above the marble.
The synergy betwee the tip, the cone and the base
We confirm that the luminous tip, the reflective stainless steel of the cone, the pulse and
reflection of mercury will embrace light as the essence of the monument.
Human relationship and sheet landscape
The integration with the surrounding streetscape will be through the design of its base. The
human scale relationship to the monument will be achieved by people and their reflections, the
fascination of watching pulsed mercury flowing over the black marble. We would welcome the
opportunity to work with the City in developing landscape proposals in the areas beyond the
monument's site installation limits.
