Tana Bru, Tana, Norway

In the Northern tip of Norway along the E6 highway this 200-meter-long stay-cable bridge extends across the Tana river in Finnmark county. The bridge is located within the Arctic Circle where winters are long, cold, and dark. Because the sun does not rise above the horizon for two months of the year the county endures short twilight days and long nights of darkness in the winter. The darkness is only broken by sunrises that merge into sunsets and the spectacular appearance of Northern Lights that attract many tourists to the area.

The vision for lighting Tana Bru was to be a communicative visual attraction that can achieve national pride by creating an internationally recognized landmark. The lighting display, visible from a great distance, is a beacon that reflects the natural beauty of Finnmark’s extended sunrises and sunsets as well as the beauty of the Northern Lights, especially during the long winter nights. The project required luminaires that could provide excellent traffic safety and be reliable in the extreme Arctic climate.

GVA Lighting was able to provide an arsenal of outdoor lighting equipment with a proven record of durability in harsh winter conditions and certified for the vibrations caused by wind and traffic. Additionally, GVA Lighting created a custom heated glass solution for FL100™ and STR9® (uplighting) luminaires to melt snow and ice build up that would block the light beam of the luminaire.

The bridge is lined with over 1000 meters (3280.84+ feet) of direct-view HIGHLIGHTER® DL color-changing luminaires. 28 FL100™ RGBW-OM luminaires with varying optical distributions, including an extremely tight 4 degree and an elliptical 60×10 degree, illuminate the asymmetrical center pillars. A combination of 235 meters of STR9® COLOR-CHANGING and 53+ meters of STR9® MONO linear luminaires illuminate the stay cables.

The entire bridge is lit with INFINITY® Technology powered luminaires enabling extremely long runs with fewer power supplies than a low voltage system could offer.

Lighting Design: Zenisk

Partner: Rebel Light

Client: Statens Vegvesen

Control: Rebel Control

Photography: Frank M. Ingilæ