Sky walks

The 67 metre long footbridge was completed in September 2000 at a cost of £ 530,000. The bridge provides a unifying link for pupils over a busy road between the original school and the 1960’s school building to the north. The footbridge curves past the trees in the school grounds and climbs to rise above the traffic. At the centre the footbridge opens into an elevated viewing gallery with seats adjacent to oriel windows. The design demonstrates an innovative response to a complex brief and challenging budget by minimising material cost and disruption to the day to day operation of the school during construction. The footbridge has a simple steel balustrade and deck structure supported on steel columns and is protected from the weat... More

The vision behind Henning Larsen Architects’ masterplan for the new financial district in Riyadh is to create a modern, sustainable city based on a minimum of private motoring. From the decentralised parking garages, a monorail brings people to six different stations in the new district. A network of footbridges – so-called Skywalks – departs from the stations and connects the various buildings in the area. The footbridges are placed at an elevated level separated from the street traffic. Due to the hot climate in Riyadh, it is expected that most people will use the secured, ventilated bridges with a floor width of four to six metres. Here, business people will meet to interact and the cafes and shops of the towers will contribute t... More

The pedestrian and cycle bridge link a proposed new mixed use development with the existing town, Bristol Temple Meads Station and new hotel development. Materials and artificial light studies are central to the design. The construction is a stressed skin arc of stainless steel, which lands on haunched abutments at each side of the floating harbour. The arc of the bridge picks up light from the sky and water, changing with the weather and the time of day. The interior of the bridge holds LED lights, which make the whole structure glow at night to reveal the hidden ribs of the internal structure. The competition judging committee wrote: ‘Architecture, Engineering and lighting are beautifully combined as the simple el... More

Pedestrian Bridge in Esch/Alzette (the second largest city in Luxembourg). The idea was to create a direct connection between the heart of the city and the green space (Park of Galgenberg). The single volume is characterized by an uncluttered and minimalist design philosophy. The volume gesture clearly contrasts with the chaotic environment (overhead lines, power lines, boulevard, bus platforms and trains, roundabouts etc). The aesthetic of the project makes this bridge unique and creates a strong image for the station area. More

In a crowded place such as Hong Kong, people rarely has their own garden. The bridge is designed to be a ‘community bridge’ - where everyone can grow their own piece of garden on a 11 square feet panel, which collectively forms the bridge of our city. The footbridge becomes a public showcase for the community. The cladding of the footbridge is divided into 1 meter square parcels. The public apply for a piece for free and grows plants on it with their own choice. Panels are designed to have different degree of openings which respond to the bridge’s orientation to provide shadings and views. More

“OPEN-ARCHITECTURE”is inserted in the gaps between buildings ,and open to people,city, and the sky ,and forms small environment by unifying with the sky,wind,light,its shadow and the sourroundings,and it can be external or internal architectural space that involves uniquely japanese notion of layered scale and externality like Japanese traditional HIROEN, In other words, OPEN-ARCHITECTURE”is the modernized public HIROEN. And it is conceived as an extension of the public realm for promoting activities and communications for inhabitants, for example it is the big play equipment for local children ,and it supports adult gathering and festivities. This“OPEN-ARCHITECTURE”is located in the congested residential area in Osaka JAPAN. It is built... More

The construction of a new six lane urban highway adjacent to the domestic airport in the heart of Reykjavík required a new system of pedestrian routes and three attendant footbridges. A two-stage competition was held in 2003 and the proposal by Studio Granda in association with the engineers Línuhönnun won first prize. The design consists of a circular core of post-tensioned cables surmounted by the thinnest possible concrete deck with stainless steel handrails. The structure is borne on concrete filled stainless steel columns and minimal concrete landings. This simple arrangement allows the bridges to be curved in plan as well as section and tailored to each location without significant variation in the fundamental design. The bridg... More

A viaduct is not a bridge The landscape dictates that this viaduct must be a “bridge” – but a bridge over a river without banks, which is nothing more than a link between the rural and the urban and which expresses a route which serves not only to mark the distances, but also affirm the differences between them both. The metro station is situated on this new “bridge” between these two worlds, marking the entrance to the city. It is a mark in time in the passage from one place to another. It is therefore not a place in itself. On the contrary it is more like a hiatus between places. It was therefore intended to make sense of a land which has built up due to the simple accumalation of objects, without any hierarchy and where there is... More

The new and moveable pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Westerdoksluis forms the link between the west part of city centre (waterfront along the IJ) and the new developed Westerdokseiland. This area consist of several islands and peninsula, where the broad and raised rail way track dominates. In contrast to all the abundance of surrounding elements the bridge has a sober and simple character. The independeness/autonomous of the bridge is accentuated by a the subtle asymmetric placement of the two bridge decks. The bridge is 48 meter long and 5 meter wide and has two bearings in the water. These bearings are placed asymmetrical in relation to the arch of the bridge. According to the schedule of requirements the bridge has a single dra... More

Located at a remote village, Fujian Province in China, the project does not only provides a physical function - a school + a bridge, but also presents a spiritual centre. The main concept of the design is to enliven an old community (the village) and to sustain a traditional culture (the castles and lifestyle) through a contemporary language which does not compete with the traditional, but presents and communicates with the traditional with respect. It is done by combining few different functions into one space – a bridge which connects two old castles cross the creek, a school which also symbolically connects past, current with future, a playground (for the kids) and the stage (for the villagers). A light weight structure traverse a sma... More

The new concert hall Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ is the figurehead on the bow of the Amsterdam Eastern Docklands. The nautical character of the location is enhanced by connecting the building with the mainland by a bridge that is inspired by a gangplank. Next door the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam welcomes cruise ships and offers a short walk to the canal boat marina under the bridge. As befits a real gangplank, the bridge slopes somewhat askew from the quay to the entrance. The only thing visible above the bridge deck are the railings on both sides which incorporate the lighting. Underneath, a steel construction of 200 feet long and weighing almost 220 tons supports the bridge. It’s like a spinal column with 21 trusses that are kept in place by... More

Besides the merging of two insurance departments of Nationale Nederlanden in one new building the design brief stated such requirements as: a modern, innovative and welcoming look, a recognisable identity and flexibility in use. The Municipality of The Hague also imposed a number of conditions including a pivotal role in the development of the area. The building would have to serve as a new gateway to the city but at the same time could not be symmetrical. More