Periscopic Viewing Room

Abstract

In the design for an artwork for the new Frank E. Moss Federal Courthouse organized by the General Services Administration, James Carpenter Design Associates focused on the courthouse’s location at the city’s civic core. Salt Lake City is situated within a bowl created by mountain ranges to the east, north, and south, with the open plain of the Great Salt Lake to the west. The city’s immediate relationship to this extraordinary natural setting is the prime motivation for the installation. Marking the presence of the new Courthouse, the architect, Thomas Phifer & Partners, designed an entry tower that extends high above the adjacent roof elevations. Carpenter’s team saw the entry tower as a site for an expansive work that would allow the simultaneous experience of the urban and natural environment.