Threshold is a permanent public art project designed to serve as a dynamic gateway to the Truist Plaza in Charlotte, NC. The stacking stainless steel tube structure was designed to withstand overturning forces from both environmental and security bollard loading, as the sculpture was required to function as a barrier to vehicular traffic. The placement and density of the stainless steel cables, which reference weaving techniques and mathematical string models, were closely coordinated with the strength and stiffness of the stainless steel tubes through an iterative process involving both the artist and the fabricator/installer, Versteeg Art Fabricators. Versteeg built mock-ups and performed load testing on cables of different lengths, allowing Five Phase to develop structural analysis models that accurately captured the varying cable tension forces pulling on the multi-story sculpture.

Artist: Bryony Roberts Studio

Photography: Ben Premeaux

Year: 2025