Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park – Entry Portico

When the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI, expanded its campus, world-renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien envisioned a new Welcome Center and Entry Portico that would unify the visitor journey while creating a quiet architectural backdrop for art and nature.

Lighting this pivotal transition space presented a unique challenge. The Entry Portico is both an architectural threshold and a contemplative garden passage — defined by stone, wood, greenery, and sculptural views. Any lighting solution needed to provide clarity and safety for circulation, but also disappear into the architecture so as not to detract from the art, landscape, or hanging gardens.

The design team at Fisher Marantz Stone turned to Fabbian’s Multispot Tooby F32 pendants, elegant 1” borosilicate glass cylinders with an internal diffuser that creates a soft, 3-dimensional glow. While the aesthetic was perfect, the standard cord-and-canopy mounting system would not work with the pergola structure.

Fabbian collaborated closely with the design team to develop a customized solution, which included:

• •  Rigid rods of varying lengths to replace the standard cords, creating a floating rhythm of light.
• •  A custom mounting bracket system engineered for integration with the breezeway pergola.
• •  A custom RAL paint finish carefully matched to the architectural palette.

The pendants were then interspersed among the hanging gardens, appearing to drift lightly between greenery and beams. By day, the glass reflects natural light with subtle presence; by night, the pendants glow like suspended points of illumination, guiding visitors seamlessly through the passage.

The result is both functional and poetic — lighting that ensures safety and circulation while quietly becoming part of the garden experience itself.

Project Team

• Client: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

• Architects: Tod Williams & Billie Tsien Architects

• Lighting Designer: Fisher Marantz Stone

• Manufacturer: Fabbian USA (customized Multispot Tooby F32)

• Completion: 2022

Fabbian USA is proud to have contributed to this landmark project, creating a lighting solution that elevates both architecture and landscape while bringing joy to hundreds of thousands of visitors year after year.

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