Jacques Cartier
Illumination of the
Jacques-Cartier Bridge |
Creating the World’s Most
Connected Bridge
An iconic architectural feature of the Montreal skyline by day, the Jacques
Cartier Bridge now shines with an innovative lighting signature that celebrates
the unique engineering of its historic structure.
Thanks to intelligent programming
connected in real-time to big data and
social media networks, this bridge is by
most measures the most connected bridge
in the world. It comes alive every night
and changes constantly, in synch with
Montreal’s seasons, weather, traffic and
social media activity.
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A flagship project for the city’s 375th
and Canada’s 150th anniversaries, the
illumination of this steel colossus was a
major challenge.
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This project unites the bridge with the city
and its citizens, by combining expertise in
civil engineering and large-scale project
management with the creative talent of
Moment Factory and six world-class local
design firms. •
About the project
• Lighting directed to four areas of the
bridge’s steel superstructure: piers,
turrets, interior core or “heart”, and
exterior facade or “skin”. •
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A soft lighting is directed inwards
towards the ‘heart’ of the structure,
minimizing light loss and distractions
to vehicles.
A dynamic lighting of the exterior
‘skin’ is directed outwards towards
the surrounding metropolis
Art concept created by Moment
Factory in collaboration with
six Montreal multimedia and
lighting studios: Ambiances Design
Productions, ATOMIC3, Éclairage
Public / Ombrages, Lucion Média,
Réalisations and UDO Design.
Project management by The Jacques
Cartier and Champlain Bridges
Incorporated.
Engineering work done by the
consortium WSP–AECOM.
Lighting system installation by
Pomerleau.
Lighting technology by Lumenpulse
and Philips Lighting
THE CONCEPT - LIVING CONNECTIONS
From sunset to sunrise
An iconic landmark by day, the bridge
takes on a new life at night. As the sun
sets, the bridge awakens, bringing light,
movement and data to the structure. Over
the course of the night, the bridge uses
these features to tell the evolving story
of Montreal and its ongoing rhythms. The
following morning, as the day breaks,
the bridge’s pulse fades into the sunlight,
waiting for its next turn to shine.
A real-time reflection of Montreal's social
media energy
The energy of Montreal is represented
through a subtle play of light on the
bridge’s exterior ‘skin’. For 52 minutes
each hour, the bridge pulses with the city’s
social conversations as tracked on Twitter
in real-time.
The intensity, speed and density of these
light fragments changes depending on
how often Montreal-related hashtags are
liked and shared.