SPF: architects has announced the completion of Rainbow Bridge, a new pedestrian overpass in Downtown Long Beach. 

The project originated in 2014 as a means to connect the Long Beach Convention Center with the Long Beach Performing Arts Center.  Although the two venues are located close to one another, walking from one to the other previously meant taking a circuitous route up-and-down stairs and across a busy street.

The elevated sidewalk spans approximately 600 feet, featuring 76 custom-welded bent-steel ribs, and approximately 1,200 cubic yards of concrete.  At night, the bridge is lit by 3,500 color-changing LED lights, 100 downlights, and 70 floodlights.  Carl Stahl Architektur worked with SPF to create a stainless steel node clip which allows LED wiring to attach to the bridge's canopy.  The overall design of the project was influenced by its location near the Long Beach waterfront.

Rainbow Bridge wraps around the perimeter of Sonata, an under-construction. development that will create 112 apartments and 2,000 square feet of retail space.