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The aim of our proposal is to create a unique & humane alternative
to the familiar structural showmanship of bridge design. Rather
than making a gesture to the non-car user it prioritizes their experience
and aims to avoid creating an undesirable and unsustainable white
elephant whilst still providing a distinctive landmark and iconic
gateway.
Our intention was to create both a pleasurable route for the pedestrian
& other recreational users and a larger landscape sculpture.
It is therefore a beautiful and intriguing place and an experience
that reveals itself through repetition, nurturing the route and
encouraging walking and other recreational activities.
For the car user our proposal is to soften the existing harsh motorway
context and provide a link with the surrounding woodland landscape.
By doing this we endeavour to establish a place with a distinctive
identity, a focal point connecting vehicles, pedestrians, the bridge
and the countryside.
The design is composed of 2 elements – steel ‘trees’
and a timber ribbon walkway that glides through the landscape and
is lifted through the canopy of the existing wood. It is a simple,
low tech, sustainable bridge that has a minimum impact on the forest.
Flat top timber trusses form the bridge sides where the walkway
spans across the road. Clad in timber boarding it is decorated with
a leaf motif cut out which sparkles when lit at night. The steel
trees are introduced to lift the walkway through the forest and
across the road. When lit at night they provide a reference to Sheffield
and Rotherham’s heavy industrial heritage.
The resultant design creates an exceptional and delightful space,
a safe crossing, a landmark and gateway to the city and region and
a beacon for future regeneration. From industrial roots grows the
sustainable future. A forest of steel, with the nostalgic red glow
of the foundries, defines the crossing of the two routes and marks
the new gateway.
Sculptor: Michael Visocchi
Structural Engineer: David Narro Associates
Cost Consultant: Davis Langdon LLP
Sheffield Parkway Footbridge partners: Rotherham Borough Council
and Yorkshire Forward
Computer Renderings: Tom
Kaneko
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