Submission #7 CLOSE
Buckland and Taylor Ltd. (Vancouver) and Kitchell ñ Architecture + Design (Victoria, BC)
Final Presentation PDF #1
Final Presentation PDF #2
Final Presentation PDF #3
This design for the St.Patrick’s Island Bridge is a new destination in the City of Calgary.†This location on the Bow River in front of the Calgary skyline is both unique and scenic; a place from which to watch the City and the River together in their endlessly changing rhythms of days and seasons. A bridge for this location should be in scale with the City and its future – it becomes a portal where people arrive in the City, cross the river, go to St. Patrick’s island, and return again. At the same time, the bridge is a large deck where it is nice to enjoy the view and the constant activity of the City and the riverfront in a grand panorama. It is a postcard place in the making, a place where families gather for a picture or two friends sit on a bench and discuss their lives.
The unique feature of this bridge design is seen in its bow-shaped plan. The bow gathers force towards the island while facing the river and downtown Calgary. The plan invites a panoramic view, moving out towards the City along its curved decks and in towards the dramatic pylon at the head of the Island. The deck also leads towards the Island where the backstays are anchored at high ground.
The entire structure is poised, hovering and balanced, much like a bow. The bridge also becomes a sculpture where shadows from the pylon and stay planes play over the entire point of the St. Patrick’s Island.
This design offers a unique landmark for Calgary suited to this unique location. It is a grand and generous gesture, full of hope and confidence for what Calgary has achieved and is becoming. The bridge is a place to go and admire what is being created all around in a beautiful natural setting. No one will mistake what city this bridge is in or what river this bridge crosses – a bridge gracefully shaped like a bow on the river of the same name.
