Concept:

This project challenged students to create a piece of infrastructure that ascended beyond its most basic function. The brief called for a pedestrian bridge design to be developed for a crossing of the Brisbane River over the Town Reach of the waterway, from the Northern entry of the Botanical Gardens to the Thornton Street Pier on the opposite side of the river. 

The design needed to surpass the mere functional aspect of a bridge connecting two points, it needed to become a destination of its own.

The core driving concept of the project was continuity; of culture, of context, of navigating, of river life.

This concept led to the development of an intervention which took inspiration from local aboriginal significance of the site (considered an important meeting place) and the idea of the importance not just of meeting places but also the journey to and between them.

The intervention was envisioned with four distinct ecological zones representing different flora groups found in each of the climate zones found within Queensland. The structure itself was designed to respond to the Brisbane Rivers frequent flooding events by rising and falling with the river water levels, this enabled continuity of river navigation and continuity of pedestrian access across the river.

The design also included six distinct nodes, each intended to act as meeting places for a variety of activites from recreation, relaxation, performances, and dining.

Final Design:

Click below to download the final presentation material for this project: