Environment

SPACE:  -> CULTURE-> BEHAVIOUR-> GREEN

Q:How does our bridge relate to the site?
A: Its structure mimics the effect that the architects wished to create, i.e the resemblance of an insect and a low impact design which does not distract from the rich distinct surrounding area of Canary Wharf.

Q: What is it's territory; does it negotiate or unite?
A: The very nature of a bridge is to unite, to connect two areas which were previously detached and 'distant' from each other. However, it can be said that this bridge in particular also negotiates, as the both areas that joined are extremely different, with different values and ideas that need to be respected.

Q: Is it dominant or passive?
A: One can argue that this bridge stands alone and fulfills a passive purpose. As we have witnessed it purely acts as its main function; a passage way across a boundary. Many people do not stop and observe the bridge and its surroundings but just blindingly walk to their destination. In terms of the environment, this role reverses. The spectacle of the lights across the handrails which illuminate at night creates an object that people stop and notice. It no longer is a service, but it becomes a landmark of it's environment.

Q: What behaviour and communication does it encourage?
A: A day has certain amount of hours that are associated with working routines. We go to work in the morning and tend to come back in the afternoon, meaning that the evening and night is left for our social commitments. This is led to a split in the personality of the bridge.
Having recorded the movement, behaviour and interaction of people with the bridge, we noticed that the rhythm is significantly different. During the day, people have a sole focus which is to get across the bridge as quickly as possible and with minor interruptions.

Whereas at night the environment becomes a social hub of activity. People begin to scan and consume its actual context.



Q: What are it's green credentials? 
A: Since this is not your typical energy consuming building, it does not have 'green credentials' in the same way. We believe that the structure has been made not as a temporary measure but as a long standing, long serving piece of architecture.  Even though it doesn't have any thermal qualities that consume electricity, the lighting that it does have are LED's and are energy efficient.

Cross-sectional view of Canary Wharf to West India Quay

                                                                       DAY

                                                                                      

                                                                                 

                               

NIGHT      

 left            right

One interesting thing we found at night was that only the lights on the left side of bridge were on. In this case it looks like there has been a cut through the middle of the bridge. Canary wharf is bright and modern, with beautiful bars along the riverside. All the buildings on this side are illuminated. However the other side of the bridge is dark without the illumination provided by the dotted light's, the buildings along that side were also very dark. This reminded us of one person we interviewed about the bridge who mentioned that she feels the bridge is like a connection between the rich and the poor.



Night shift

In the night, the light coming from the balustrades of the bridge looks like two long dotted lines that connect Canary Wharf and the West India Quay. People cannot see the bridge's actual structure, just the dotted lines created by the lights. This makes the bridge look dreamy, light and as if it is floating on the water. We felt the movement of the lights and the movement of bridge. But also the movement of the river, as well as the reflections of the lights along  with the people's movement.  We feel that the bridge is more active at night than in the day times, it feels much more alive.

Background

The bridge is located on the River Thames in London. It links two areas of very different style. On the one side is a vast commercial development, mainly made of concrete, stone block with glass.  On on the other side is the more delicate part, containing 19th century warehouses  with a quayside piazza, mainly made of bricks.

The architects designed the bridge as an insect touching the water as lightly as a water skater. They place an emphasis on the horizontal stretch of water. Thus, the two areas on each side are still separated although now there is a bridge between them.

In addition the architects use a very bright colour — lime green to coat the main body of the bridge. Making it become visible even though  it lies amongst huge buildings.

It's like a jigsaw...

HOW DO THINGS REALLY FIT TOGETHER?

As our location is a bridge and not a traditional building structure, the core elements of it must be a lot more sustainable and impervious.  The bridge itself is constructed with more of a technical aspect; it is joined with different materials that combine to form the basic skeleton of it. As a skeleton has many layers that form the body; the bridge too needs to be composed of these main aspects. The load-bearing, insulation and protective layers could be represented by bone, muscle and skin. This can be translated to our structure as being what holds and keeps it afloat. 

Foundations:

• Load-bearing layer = the tension piles which support the pontoons; these are the basis of the bridge
• Insulation = the pontoons themselves, as they keep the piles from damage
• Protective = the hand-rails that protect the pedestrians, and also the ridged texture of the walkway that creates a no-slip surface. 

In this way we can easily compare the bridge to that of a normal building. Like a house, it begins from the bottom supports, the foundations, and is built upwards using walls. Which in our case are the hand-rails of the bridge. However unlike buildings that have a clearly defined interior and exterior, our bridge has no perceptible distinctions between these two areas. It creates a metaphorical "bridge" between these two spatial fields. 

Does form follow function?

The bridge is located in quite an awkward place. There is another much larger bridge up the river to the right and to the left, the river is filled with mostly permanent boats. To get the bridge into place ,two different modes of transport were utilised as it was pre-fabricated. It was constructed in two halves and then moved to the Royal Albert Dock by road; from there the two sections were floated into place by a tug-boat. This seemingly complicated method of construction allows for the fact that it needed to be able to open hydraulically in the middle of the bridge. Otherwise if it was constructed on-site, half of the structure would be static in the air and unable to move.


Climate and Culture:


Since it is outside the bridge is subject to the environmental conditions of the area. This could mean wind, rain, storms and rising water-levels etc. Therefore it is made of heavyweight materials that can withstand these climatic changes and conditions. From personal experience we know that when in strong wind (combined with other forces being applied on the bridge) it rocks and bounces more so than usual. 

Since this in not a building that could have multiple functions, the bridge was designed with a specific purpose in mind. In particular, it is a footbridge which allows pedestrians to move between two very different worlds. A passage of communication and intertwining lifestyles. On the one hand, on Canary Wharf, you can see the buildings of one Canada Square, which is the heart of the  'banking' district, yet barely 80 metres across the river you have the West India Quay. This a very poor area, that nevertheless has retained its strong identity and connections to the docks of old London. It is a clash of two very different cultures.  

The outcome of this, is that these two distinct locations are slowly going to merge into one, all due to the fact that this bridge has allowed movement between them.

Movement:

                                

As the bridge reacts to the movement of the pedestrians crossing it, minor vibrations are created. The magnitude of these vibrations is determined by the volume of traffic crossing the bridge, i.e. in rush hours the bridge is busier and therefore the bridge is also "bouncier". This leads to minute movements which cannot be felt of detected unless you closely observe the small wheels on either end. Over time these very small movements have led to a disintegration of the rubber surface on the wheels.

 

CONSTRUCTION

 

These are some of the plan, section and construction details of the piling layout of the bridge that we managed to acquire from  the engineer's, Anthony Hunt Associates.

The piles that the pontoons and the bridge rest upon are partially submerged in the river bed. They cannot be seen, thus creating the image of 'The Floating Bridge'.

ENGINEER'S NOTES

This is a copy of the tension piling layout that we managed to obtain from the engineering firm, Anthony Hunt Associates, that designed and built the bridge along with Future Systems. The details on this show the specific locations of the piles along with other structural calculations and drawings.