The 40 metre Spencer Dock Bridge with its fluid lines and undulating concrete surface takes trams, traffic and pedestrians across the Royal Canal. Amanda Levete Architects design for the span bridge peels down the edges of the deck to reveal a space for pedestrians to pause and take in views of the dock and Linear Park which is currently under construction.
Follow the break for more photographs of the Spencer Dock Bridge.
Architects: Amanda Levete Architects Location: Dublin, Ireland AL_A Team: Amanda Levete, Alan Dempsey – Project Architect, Peter Feldman, Jordy Fu, Alvin Huang, Theo Sarantoglou Structural Engineers: Arup Main Contractor: Laing O’Rourke Client: Dublin Docklands Development Authority, Railway Procurement Agency Project Year: 2009 Photographs: Gidon Fuehrer
The underside of the bridge merges with the piers in a single movement with joint lines in the concrete designed to accentuate the geometry of the form. The finish of the concrete provides high visibility against the dark water of the canal and at night the structure is vibrantly lit from below, underlining its fluid form.
The proportions of the bridge are unusual and the design exploits these by treating the bridge as a piece of landscape design. The soft geometry and asymmetry create a piece of infrastructure that resolves the tension between form and function.
The bridge has been constructed from an innovative combination of insitu and precast reinforced concrete, using formwork milled from high density expanded polystyrene coated in resin for a smooth surface finish. Fabricating directly from our 3D parametric models provided a high degree of control over the geometry. This innovative use of CNC cut polystyrene is to date the largest application of the material to be used in this way. White limestone was used in the concrete mix to increase visibility and reflect the changing patterns of the water. The concrete edges were precast off site and incorporate recessed lighting and the stainless steel balustrade.
Commissioned as Future Systems, the bridge is one of the first major projects completed under the name of Amanda Levete Architects. It will be fully operational in 2010 to coincide with completion of the Linear Park.
