How a 60-foot video sculpture wrapped around a parking garage became one of Orlando's most photographed landmarks
The Beacon is a 60-foot, six-story sculptural installation at Lake Nona Town Center in Orlando, FL, designed by Florida-based public artist JEFRË and unveiled in 2015. Its steel enclosure is wrapped in scalloped aluminum panels and high-definition video projections that light up each night. Its shape was inspired in part by the first stethoscope, a nod to Lake Nona's Medical City. A companion artwork, the 264-foot-long Code Wall, wraps the adjacent parking garage with cutout binary code that spells out community values like "inspire," "participate," and "connect." The Beacon is free to view at any time.
Here's something most people driving into Lake Nona don't realize on their first visit: that glowing, six-story tower at the heart of Town Center — the one everyone's photographing — is technically decorating a parking garage. And that's not an accident. That's the whole point.
Meet The Beacon, the 60-foot sculptural landmark by public artist JEFRË that has become the unofficial symbol of Lake Nona. It's the kind of piece that makes newcomers slow down, pull out their phones, and ask, "Wait, what is that?" So let's answer the question — because the story behind it says a lot about what kind of community Lake Nona is trying to be.
What Exactly Is The Beacon?
The Beacon is a 60-foot, six-story steel enclosure wrapped in white aluminum panels with scalloped, scale-like edges. During the day it reads as a sleek, sculptural tower. After dark, it transforms: the entire surface becomes a giant projection screen, playing high-definition video artwork that shifts and evolves night after night.
The structure itself was designed by JEFRË, while the nightly video concepts were created by New York-based installation designer Michael Counts in partnership with the 3-Legged Dog (3LD) Art and Technology Center. In other words, it's not a static statue — it's a piece of art that's meant to keep changing, so the version you see tonight might not be the version you see next month.
Fun fact for your next trivia night: the tower's shape was inspired in part by the very first stethoscope. It's a subtle nod to Lake Nona's Medical City, the cluster of hospitals, research institutes, and med-school campuses that put this community on the map. Art and identity, quietly baked into the same object.
Wait — It's Really a Parking Garage?
Let's be real: "world-class public art" and "parking structure" don't usually show up in the same sentence. But that pairing is exactly what makes The Beacon so Lake Nona. Rather than hiding the garage or slapping a mural on it, the developers commissioned JEFRË to turn the whole thing into a destination.
That's where the second half of the installation comes in: Code Wall. Running 264 feet along the outer face of the Town Center parking garage, Code Wall is perforated with cutout binary code and studded with dichroic glass panels that split sunlight into rainbows by day and glow under choreographed LED lighting by night.
And the binary code isn't random. Translated, it spells out the community's guiding words — things like inspire, participate, and connect. It's a mission statement written in ones and zeros on the side of a garage. Only in Lake Nona.
Who Is JEFRË?
JEFRË (full name Jefrë Manuel-Figueras) is a first-generation Filipino-American public artist based in Central Florida. Before he was known for monumental sculptures, he trained in urban design and worked for heavyweight firms including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and the studios of architects Santiago Calatrava and Philippe Starck.
After a heart attack at age 35, he pivoted to founding his own studio focused on public art — art built for people and the places they live. That personal history matters here: The Beacon's stethoscope inspiration and Lake Nona's health-and-wellness identity aren't a coincidence. His work has since gone global, with towering sculptures in Manila and beyond, but The Beacon remains one of his signature pieces, and it earned him an AIA Orlando Consultant of the Year award.
JEFRË has described The Beacon as a "postcard moment" for Orlando — a deliberately photogenic landmark meant to draw people in, spark a picture, and get them wandering into the shops and restaurants nearby. Given that tens of millions of visitors fly in and out of Orlando each year, he's noted that a glimpse of The Beacon from a plane window could be their first or last impression of the city.
Why Should Orlando Homebuyers Care?
Here's the thing: a giant video sculpture isn't just eye candy. For anyone weighing a move to southeast Orlando, The Beacon is a useful tell about how Lake Nona operates. This is a master-planned community developed by Tavistock that treats public art as infrastructure — not an afterthought, but part of the plan from day one.
That philosophy shows up all over the community. The Beacon anchors a growing outdoor art collection that includes the Lake Nona Sculpture Garden at the Wave Hotel, rotating murals, and the annual Lake Nona Art Festival. For families and remote workers relocating here, it means a walkable town center that feels like a genuine downtown, with something to actually look at — a rarity among Orlando's newer suburbs.
How to See The Beacon (Local Tips)
The best part? You don't need a ticket, a reservation, or deep pockets to experience it. Here's how to make the most of a visit:
- Location: The heart of Lake Nona Town Center, off Tavistock Lakes Boulevard in southeast Orlando (ZIP 32827), about 20 minutes from Orlando International Airport (MCO).
- Best time to go: After dark. The daytime tower is striking, but the nightly video projections are the real show — that's when The Beacon earns its name.
- Cost: Free. It's public art in an open, walkable district.
- Make an evening of it: Pair it with dinner at one of Town Center's restaurants, a set at Boxi Park, or a rooftop drink at the Wave Hotel. The art is the anchor; the district is the reward.
Photographers, note: because the projected video changes over time, no two visits look exactly alike. It's one of the few Orlando landmarks that genuinely rewards coming back.
What the Neighbors Know
Ask a longtime Lake Nona resident about The Beacon and you'll usually get a small, knowing smile. Locals love that their most iconic landmark is, at its core, a parking garage dressed up as art — it's a little inside joke that also happens to be a genuine point of pride.
More than that, The Beacon has become the community's meeting-spot shorthand. "Meet me by The Beacon" is the Lake Nona equivalent of "meet me at the fountain." For a community that's only about a decade into building its town center, having a landmark that instantly says this place is no small thing — and it tells prospective buyers that Lake Nona is investing in identity, walkability, and the kind of details that make a neighborhood feel like home rather than a subdivision.
Whether you're an art lover, a future resident scouting Lake Nona real estate, or just someone who appreciates a good "wait, that's a garage?" story, The Beacon is worth a stop. 🎨
For more on the installation and the wider public art collection, visit the official Lake Nona Art Tour page. You can also explore JEFRË's work through the Orlando Museum of Art and Visit Orlando's Lake Nona Sculpture Garden feature.
Want to see even more of what makes this community tick? Explore our full Lake Nona arts and culture guide, or dig into related reads like our Lake Nona Sculpture Garden, the Lake Nona public art walking tour, and inside the art-filled Wave Hotel.
Thinking about calling southeast Orlando home? Browse the latest Lake Nona listings, or reach David Myers directly at 407.801.3286 or through our contact form for personalized relocation advice from people who actually know the neighborhood.
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