Arup have released a new image of the proposed copper-nickel alloy cladding that will adorn Heatherwick Studio's Garden Bridge in London. According to a report by the Architects' Journal, the "concrete structure will be coated in 'cupro-nickel', from its feet on the riverbed up to the base of the balustrades on the bridge deck." The copper will be donated from Glencore, a multi-national mining company, forming "a protective skin to the carbon steel structure giving it a maintenance free 120-year life, protecting the bridge from river and environmental corrosion." More than 240 tonnes of the metal alloy, which often finds use in medical equipment and ship propellers, will be used.
Plans for the bridge, which has been described by investors as "London’s newest and most imaginative green space", was given final approval by the Mayor of London in December of last year. Since then the proposal has garnered both support and criticism, with Rowan Moore describing the project as "nothing but a wasteful blight" in an article for The Observer.
According to the Garden Bridge Trust, the bridge will open in 2018.
