London Millennium Footbridge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

London Millennium Footbridge - Essay Example The bridge is a natural expression of structural engineering and architecture but a city center footbridge is equally about people and the environment; in short, a piece of public architecture. The bridge gives the pedestrians unique views of London, free from traffic and high above the Thames. In September 1996, a competition was organized by a London-based newspaper the Financial Times and London Borough of Southwark to design a new Footbridge across the River Thames. The idea behind the competition was to get the best design in every aspect, therefore, the teams participating in the design were structured to have an engineer, an architect, and an artist. More than 200 teams participated and the competition was won by Arup (engineer), Foster (architect) and Sir Anthony Caro (Sculptor). The height restrictions and the view of the bridge required an innovative design which was provided in the form of a design which included some unusual practices; the suspension design had supporting cables below the deck level. This innovative design was given the name ‘blade of light’ by its designers. A modular design in which several structural members and components can be repeated in the structure, thus reducing the fabrication costs. This can also simplify the maintenance after the construction and allows easy execution of the construction phase. A major issue was the provision of planning advice for gaining the necessary approvals to construct a new river crossing in the heart of London. Moreover, ways of generating the finances for the bridge were also to be considered while designing the bridge. The bridge design is a shallow suspension bridge in which the view behind the bridge is facilitated by keeping the suspension cables below the bridge deck. The bridge is supported on two river piers through two groups of four 120mm diameter locked coil cables which span from one bank to the other.