United States Air Force Memorial
Arlington, Virginia/USA
Soaring toward the stratosphere, the stainless steel spires of the United States Air Force Memorial evoke the
precision and weightlessness of flight. Reinforcing this architectural agility, illumination appears to emanate from within the
monument itself, bursting into the night sky.
Lighting the memorial was a highly technical challenge. Each spire has a different footprint and height, presents a small surface area,
and sways up to eighteen inches in the wind.
Because the monument is located on a commercial flight path, red beacons would typically need to be placed at the mid-point and tip
of each spire to warn approaching pilots. As an alternative, we determined that the spires could be treated like church steeples and
their upper portions brightly lit. To achieve regulation levels, powerful floodlights - concealed behind granite inscription walls
flanking the monument - are directed to the top third of the structure. These are aimed using precision, narrow beam optics.
Instead of an overall, even wash of light, the lighting brightens to subtly articulate the curving tips of the monument.
Completing the scheme, wallwashers mounted flush to the ground light inscription walls. Hoods were custom-cast in stainless steel
to match the spires, yielding even, glare-free illumination. A pavement-embedded Air Force Star logo is lit with compact LEDs,
providing an ambient glow of light within the central viewing area.
