Polish Bridge Project in Atlanta is an Internet Favourite
A design from the Warsaw studio KAMJZ Architects has won the online vote in the competition for a new bridge for Atlanta’s Midtown.
Taking place in May 2015, the Atlanta Bridgescape Competition was not your typical architectural contest. Its goal was to select the best design for two bridges that connect the central districts of Atlanta, serving half a million residents. The bridges run five miles (8km) through the city centre and are used by more than 300,000 vehicles per day. The modernization and modification of this road is meant to help integrate people with urban life. The organisers of the competition include institutions committed to the sustainable development of American cities, and local branches of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Architecture and Design Center.
The first part of this large, multi-year project is the construction of the two bridges. Authorities have allocated US$3 million for their modernization. The competition took two forms: proposals were submitted from around the world and analysed by a jury, and then by Internet users. The organisers decided that in order to improve the quality of life in the city, they should also evaluate the opinions of those who would actually use the bridges. And the Internet has recognized a design coming to Atlanta from Poland.
Voters awarded the first prize for one of the two bridges to KAMJZ Architects studio, under the direction of Maciej Jakub Zawadzki. Their project named Green City Spectator combines a traditional functioning bridge with an unusual park space.
Over a thousand projects were evaluated in the Internet competition. Users chose Green City Spectator because it offers many additional attractions for visitors, and incorporated crossings for pedestrians and cyclists. It is also designed to be accessible for those with disabilities. The 35 metre-wide bridge has greenery, enabling it to function as an unusual park—the architects planned a space to sit and rest, as well as flowerbeds to create an urban garden. With this design the bridge could become an attractive spot to meet up and spend time.
The shape of the bridge is also not accidental, because the architects designed it with the intention to construct mirrors on the underside of the bridge. In this way, the usually neglected area under the bridge would become an attractive area to arrange a small market. The mirrors could improve the whole area.
All projects that qualified for the final in the Atlanta Bridgescape Competition can be viewed at www.atlantabridgescapecompetition.com.
Author: Anna Cymer, trans. ASJ 21/05/2015
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