Illuminating a Cultural and Design Icon

Boorloo Bridge is a pedestrian and cycle crossing comprising of two cable-stayed bridges about 250 meters (820 ft) apart that span two separate channels of the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia. It was completed in December 2024 and has since become an iconic new landmark that redefines Perth’s skyline and provides safe passage for thousands of cyclists and pedestrians daily. By day, its elegant architecture speaks of innovation. By night, it becomes an illuminated digital canvas, radiating light, motion, and the energy of the city it connects.

Boorloo Bridge is a living narrative, it’s a place where past and present converge, where the land and its stories are honoured. The bridge takes its name after the Noongar word for Perth, Boorloo. It was intentionally designed to appear S-shaped, representing a Wagyl, the Noongar manifestation of the Rainbow Serpent in Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology. The three pylons were created to resemble Aboriginal digging sticks and a boomerang as an additional nod to heritage.

Signify partnered with Freyssinet, renowned for their expertise in bridge and cable-stay engineering, to deliver a world-first high-tech lighting system across the bridge’s three cable-stay sections. The lighting design intended to illuminate the 1,628 tonnes (3.6 million pounds) of weathering steel and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) of cabling, to create a safe passageway for pedestrians and cyclists. The dynamic and color-changing effects were chosen to invigorate the area and celebrate its heritage, making Boorloo Bridge an icon.

This design was completed utilizing 17,130 Color Kinetics FlexElite IntelliHue high-output luminaires and 19 Color Kinetics ReachElite IntelliHue 200 W and 300 W floodlights. The FlexElite nodes were installed via custom sleeve-brackets at 300 mm (11.8 in) intervals and housed in specially designed clip-on ducting, concealing all cabling while offering a clean, elegant finish during the day and a precise visual impact at night. The floodlights provided cohesion, highlighting the support pylons which required careful positioning and attention to detail. Team Electrical led the complex cable routing, integrating all power and control systems including Color Kinetics CM-550 48V CA4 Control Modules and Pharos controllers.

The full Color Kinetics lighting system enabled Ramus Illumination to bring the structure to life with emotion and story. The nodes were used to create evocative scenes, weaving together cultural narratives and showcasing the work of local Aboriginal artists that will continue to shape the bridge’s evolving identity.

A core challenge was achieving optimal node placement to ensure visibility from multiple perspectives, without causing distraction for either road and marine users. Color Kinetics luminaires were specifically chosen to take on this challenge. Norwich Group, a leading lighting design practice in Australasia, created 3D renderings, verified the cable and pylon lighting concepts, confirmed key vantage points, and ensured compliances.

Boorloo Bridge stands as a testament to collaboration. Engineers, designers, artists, and contractors all came together to create more than infrastructure. They created a beacon: one that celebrates culture, community, and what’s possible when light meets purpose.