Article from the Local Government Magazine - May 2008
Public infrastructure is rarely mistaken for art, but a new pedestrian bridge on the North Shore could change that.
Onepoto Bridge was commissioned by North Shore City Council to replace an existing pedestrian access lost to the widening of Onewa Road. The Bridge formed part of the council's broader urban design plan to redefine urban structures from the utilitarian into architectural elements integrated into the landscape.
The bridge fulfils its main mission - to allow pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the Onepoto Stream dryshod - perfectly well, but the design is what has turned heads.
The bridge's walkway is surrounded by sweeping timber glue-laminated "ribs" that leave the bridge looking like a whale's skeleton. Or a half-constructed sailing ship. Or a wave. The beauty of the bridge is that its shape is entirely up to the viewer. "It's a notion that has been extracted from a number of different things," Beca architectural designer Shwan Alhashimi says. "The design evolved from such things as the history of the site and the surrounding environment to reflect a sense of belonging to its place. It's about using technology to craft something that functions on a number of levels but is also pleasing architecturally, an amalgamation of functionality and art. The first hurdle was to sell the idea to the engineers, however. "Civil engineers are used to designing and building utilitarian structures themselves; and many are not used to working with architects. It wasn't easy, but they eventually appreciated the concept and were fully on board. It was a great feeling to get to the end of the project and realise all our hard work had been worth it."
The 46-metre bridge - which is shared between pedestrians and cyclists - is part of a 150-metre walkway through a bush area above the Onepoto basin. Several "windows" have been put in the ribs to allow views onto the abutment remains of the old bridge. There is also an observation deck along the pathway to further enhance the pedestrian experience.
"A significant amount of civil work was done around the walkway. It was a quite neglected area of bush, but it provides fantastic vistas across the basin," Mr Alhashimi says. "The idea was to create a journey for the pedestrian with moments of interest along the way. It is well-used by the locals and the design draws you away from the traffic. It's almost like being in a park, so it's an amenity as well as a functional bridge."
The area has been designed to reduce opportunity for vandalism as much as possible and lighting has been installed along the pathway with computer-controlled feature deck lights on the bridge. Mr Alhashimi says the council are pleased with the design and they aren't the only ones. "The taggers seem to have forgotten about it as well. In the seven months it's been open, it hasn't been tagged once. When we were working there, the site offices were tagged on a weekly basis, so perhaps it's an appreciation towards urban artwork that has stopped them."
