UNBUILT / MERIT

Entry: Antelope Valley Reflecting Wall, Lincoln, Nebraska
Firm: Min | Day
Owner(s): City of Lincoln, Parks & Recreation Department
Renderings: Min | Day

The project involves cladding an existing 18’ x 1000’ concrete retaining wall, part of a massive public works project, with stainless steel tiles applied in an aperiodic Penrose tile pattern that suggests both the organic and the technological through its pattern, materiality and effects. Though composed of only two different shapes, the Penrose pattern cannot repeat in a regular, periodic way. The wall will transform the space it frames into a welcoming and beautiful environment that invites public interaction and participation. The real project is the community living room and the activities it will support.

The Reflecting Wall faces the east and due to the actual reflectivity of stainless steel, will reflect and celebrate the rising sun. As one looks toward the Wall and beyond to the University this reflectivity will highlight a “new horizon” for the neighborhood and the city. Paired with the re-emergence of Antelope Creek, the work has the opportunity to expand the desire for changes in the community and the embrace of the beautiful in the city. The work will be the product of a collaborative effort between artists, architects and engineers with input from the Malone Neighborhood community and the people of Lincoln at large.