Dubbed Rain Bow Gate sculpture, the piece will be designed to welcome visitors and investors to the new Knowledge Quarter. The Rain Bow Gate will also be the latest in a series of public realm transformations that have characterised the new Burnley.
The name of the sculpture signifies various things such as Rain that celebrates Burnley’s nature and weather, pivotal to the city’s industrial past; Bow that reflects the arches of the viaduct, a dynamic and highly-efficient structural form; and Gate that reflects the process of combining different parts of Burnley at the site.
According to the architects, Rain Bow Gate will be a bow structure that features 500 prisms to capture light and create rainbows. It will be designed as a single-surface structure which will use advanced digital modelling, analysis and fabrication tools. The transformation of light into rainbow will evoke a sense of wonder. It will be built in collaboration with the structural engineers at international design practice Arup. The architects further added that the innovative use of steel will reflect Burnley’s advanced manufacturing status and future aspirations for the Knowledge Quarter as a centre for design and manufacturing excellence.
The Knowledge Quarter has attracted over £100 million ($161.7 million) of inward investment in Burnley to date.
