Client: Competition

Project: Currently the bridge and its canopy, provides a link between the north and south shopping arcades. A combination of poor lighting and landscaping which divides the water’s edge from the public spaces surrounding the canal make for a series of highly anti-social spaces. Where the overall regeneration of the immediate area is not the concern of this competition, it is non-the-less an issue that must be addressed for a successful development of the area. Simple steps, such as a permeable tree-lined edge, linear farmers markets to animate blank edges to buildings and gathering spaces to encourage performances, should be taken to allow the public spaces to embrace both sides of the water. The bridge canopy as a beacon of light will prove a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding spaces.

We must understand and embraced that the insertion of this canopy is only the first of many steps that must be taken in order to fully realise the potential of this pocket of space.