Wandsworth Council has announced that it plans to hold an international design competition for a new pedestrian and cylist bridge across the Thames, connecting Nine Elms on the South of the river to Pimlico on the North. The announcement comes in response to a feasibility study by Transport for London which concluded that a bridge at this location could handle around 9,000 walkers and 9,000 cyclists a day at a construction cost of £40 million.
More on the competition after the break
The bridge will accompany the series of high profile developments in Nine Elms, which includes Keiran Timberlake's US Embassy, Frank Gehry and Norman Foster's residential and retail buildings at Battersea Power Station, and a redevelopment of Covent Garden Market by BDP and SOM. Though Wandsworth Council has not officially confirmed the exact location for the future bridge, it is believed that it will be close to the new US Embassy.
"This will be a new bridge at the centre of the world’s greatest city so the design standard has to be exceptional," said Ravi Govindia, the leader of Wandsworth Council. "The design will have to inspire and win the hearts of Londoners who are tremendously proud of their river and its heritage. It must work alongside the cutting edge modern architecture of Nine Elms as well as the elegant buildings on the north bank."
The official launch of the design competition is expected this winter, with the plan to announce the winner in the spring.
Story via Architects' Journal
