River Soar Footbridge
We were first struck by the tranquility of the river setting. The retained water tower on Wolsey Island and the tower of the National Space Centre already provide significant local landmarks.
We felt that the structure of the new bridge should not seek to compete with these in height, scale or complexity and should complement the rural setting.
Our bridge is conceived as a bridge of two equal halves. Piers are introduced to reduce the overall span from 60m to 40m. It is not a symmetrical structural arrangement; one half of the bridge can be rotated in plan, about the mid-span, to become the other half - a pair of cantilevered structures which meet in the middle. To support the cantilever the structure folds and rises along one edge of the bridge to form a triangular side profile; the form is like an opened envelope. The folded sides occur diagonally opposite from each other. The thickness of the structure tapers asymmetrically across its width and length to meet the design loadings with an engineering economy. The bridge width splays at either bank to create open approaches and connections onto the river bank and the future public squares beyond.
The selection of bridge materials was made with three key design criteria: Relevance to the setting; sustainable sourcing; durability and low maintenance. Materials for the River Soar footbridge would retain their characteristics and age with grace. The structure is manufactured in weathering steel, a rust-orange colour to contrast with the green surroundings. A layer of oak boarding is fixed onto the steel structure to provide the bridge deck. The oak boarding continues up the folded sides so the weathering steel structure is not visible from the bridge deck but seen only from the bridge approach or the river below.
The parapets comprise of stainless steel sections spaced parallel at 110mm, capped by a stainless steel top rail. The flats are typically vertical except when they follow the line of the folded deck edge. This arrangement creates a dynamic character for the parapet as you walk across: solid becomes open, straight appears curved. Lighting is integrated into the top rail which enhances this feature at night.
Team
Client: RIBA/ the Leicester Regeneration Company
Architect: Allies and Morrison
Structural Engineer: Price & Myers
Lighting Consultant: Arup Lighting
Cost Consultant: Davis Langdon