A team composed of Feng Xue, Helen Chan, and Oscar Reyes (FOH) has won Director’s Choice Award in the AC-CA competition to design a contemporary footbridge in Dublin, Ireland. Entitled The Catalyst, the team’s proposal aims to become “a dynamic link which stimulates diverse urban activities and facilitates a spectacular cityscape.”
Designed around the idea of enhancing the surrounding Dockland neighborhood and Dublin as a whole, The Catalyst acts as both a physical link, as well as a new vantage point, encouraging passers-by to pause and reflect on the city.
The organic, curved form of the bridge is a response to significant buildings in the area, such as the Harp Bridge and Convention Center (CCD). Similarly, the design utilizes a symmetrical approach, in order to resonate with the local Georgian heritage architecture.
With a pivotal structure driven by a cylindrical motor, the bridge can move for passing boats and larger ships, as well as cultural activities like the Dublin Marine Festival. Moreover, the bridge itself can accommodate film and performances in its amphitheater.
Functionally, the new bridge is a meeting place, a viewing platform for visitors, a worker’s break-out area, a lover’s dating spot, a shortcut for pedestrians and cyclists, and an amphitheater for buskers, said the design team. Despite the vast functional possibilities, our bridge proposal respects and realizes the rich historical context of Dublin by creating a space that looks back at its urban context. Our response to the enhancement of Dublin is to create a place that acts as a catalyst to activate and exhibit the transformation of the city. The bridge is a book to the stories of Dublin to be discovered.
News via: Feng Xue.
