Four top design teams have released proposals in a competition to design a new crossing over the River Thames between Nine Elms and Pimlico in the London borough of Wandsworth, meaning that the winning team will be earning not only a lucrative contract, but an enviable place in the city's history! The teams were shortlisted earlier this year from 74 global entries. The Nine Elms to Pimlico Bridge is planned by Wandsworth Council as a pedestrian and cycling bridge and is part of the £1 billion transformation the Nine Elms area, which is being referred to as a “Regeneration area.” So far £26 million has been earmarked for the bridge, but the council is reportedly seeking further funding
Four top design teams have released proposals in a competition to design a new crossing over the River Thames between Nine Elms and Pimlico
The Wandsworth council has said this will be the first bridge in the centre of a major world city to be designed around the needs of cyclists and pedestrians, adding yet another feather to London's cap as a cycle friendly city. Among the design challenges will be the need to raise the bridge high enough from the riverbank so that larger boats can pass underneath it, but without creating too steep a slope for cyclists and pedestrians, who must be able to cross it safely. It's very much a balancing act, and one which the four designs thus far have gone to great lengths to master.
It will be the first bridge in the centre of a major world city to be designed around the needs of cyclists and pedestrians
The four shortlisted teams have been announced as Buro Happold with Marks Barfield Architects, J&L Gibbons Landscape Architects, Gardiner and Theobald; Bystrup Architecture Design and Engineering with Robin Snell & Partners, Sven Ole Hansen ApS, Aarsleff and ÅF Lighting; Ove Arup & Partners with AL_A, Gross Max, Equals Consulting and Movement Strategies; and Ove Arup & Partners with Hopkins Architects and Grant Associates. The design teams have now updated their proposals, and the public is being invited to comment on them. They can be viewed online at a bespoke Nep Bridge Competition portal, and will also be on display at exhibitions in Wandsworth and Westminster.
The teams were shortlisted earlier this year from 74 global entries
Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, said: “This competition is calling for architects from across the globe to come forward with exceptional, inspiring designs for a new bridge at the centre of the world’s greatest city. It has a very strong transport case, will support the city’s growth and has significant funding commitments already in place. Developing an inspiring, beautiful design will allow us to take the project to the next stage and ensure this project comes off the page into reality in a much shorter timeframe. We now have some very exciting and quite spectacular designs on the table. There is still a long way to go but these teams have given us real hope that a solution can be found to the complex challenges involved in creating a new pedestrian and cycle link across this stretch of the river.”
Public feedback will be taken into account by the competition’s jury, which is set to select the winning design later this year
Feedback received from the public will be taken into account by the competition’s jury chaired by Graham Stirk of Rogers Stirk Harbour, which is set to select the winning design later this year. Of course, any new bridge would require planning permission before it could be built, but adjustments could always be made at the last minute if completely necessary. The competition was organised with the support of Colander Associates. It was by using Colander to promote and manage the competition, that Council was able to attract interest from architects and engineers with exceptional design skills from across the globe.
