Douglas River Bridge
This bridge proposal would be the first of its type in the world; combining a revolutionary lightweight technology with a continuos biodiversity link. The lines of the bridge are deliberately simple and understated, eschewing the use of complicated solutions that typified much of bridge design of the late twentieth century.
The bridge is designed with an absolute minimum of resources using a pioneering new approach to creating lightweight structures. Relatively small steel elements are combined with a pressurised air beam such that the compression member is stabilised and the necessary structural depth is created. It is deliberately designed to be a structure of its time, marking the advent of the sustainability revolution - a period in which design approaches will change radically as we learn how to do more with less.
Client - Lancashire County Council in association with the Northwest Development Agency
Architects - Exploration
Structural Engineers - Atelier One / Airlight
Ecologist - Ove Arup & Partners
Quantity Surveyor - Gleeds