UK Medical Center

Services:

Project Management, Manufacturing, Installation

Scale:

regional

The University of Kentucky Medical Center had a design contest for a custom piece for their medical center courtyard. An artist from Denmark won the contest and they reached out to us to create the one of a kind piece.

The Challenge

Transforming this one of kind artwork into an illuminated sculpture was quite an undertaking. The dimensional portion was so large, we constructed the sculpture in sections and field assembled the sections on-site.

The Challenge

The Solution

We had two goals: to achieve constant lighting and a seamless design. The design has two different elements: half was a backlit design with gold leaf face & returns while the other half was gold leafed directly to the building fascia.

The Ruggles team created a plywood template or pattern, laid out on the shop floor, to help construct the seamless look needed for this design. This template helped with the fabrication and assembly of the handcrafted pieces. Each individual piece was gold leafed in house with help from the artist from Denmark. The gold leaf work took over one week to finish. During the installation, the template also served as a pattern to mark mounting holes and electrical wires.

Logistics and installation was another big hurdle. The larger than life pieces were hand carried with gloved hands through a hospital corridor with only (1) double-door entrance. Once they arrived at the site, the crew used multi-layered scaffolding system to assemble and install the sculpture. The installation team had its fair share of challenges as well. They worked around the landscaping, in gloves, to lift and maneuver sculpture sections into place by hand. Some re-work and fabrication occurred on-site after the installation.

The Results

The University of Kentucky Medical Center Courtyard now has a breathtaking artwork for visitors and staff to enjoy.

The Results

The University of Kentucky Medical Center Courtyard now has a breathtaking artwork for visitors and staff to enjoy.

You can see the goldenrod, that most tenacious and pernicious and beauteous of all New England flora, bowing away from the wind like a great and silent congregation.

- Stephen King

You can see the goldenrod, that most tenacious and pernicious and beauteous of all New England flora, bowing away from the wind like a great and silent congregation.

- Stephen King

It was an absolute pleasure working with you and the rest of the Ruggle’s team as well. Thanks so much to you, Elizabeth, Tony and the rest of the crew for all of your hard work. The final product is absolutely stunning!

- Jason Akhtarekhavari

UK Medical Center