Living Bridge
The Meadow, Salford is protected naturally by Irwell River from busy Chapel Street. A hidden sanctuary calmly grows a relationship and charm to tree, wild life and people. The Living Bridge represents a natural reaction of living thing that not only response to a need of green corridor for local commuter from Peel Park to Chapel Street but also emphasises the idea of “Natural Response” by Wildlife, People and Material that reaction is for a sustainable growth of the meadow, the city and the people.
The Living Bridge’s facade and fragmented columns’ rain screen encourage wildlife to habit inside. It is controlled opening to a specific diameter and is placed on different height in order to response a wildlife habitat preference.
Subtle landmark of fragment columns gesture pedestrian and cyclist discreetly a way to the bridge. Simple form of the bridge and its structure is designed to be an underline of environment. It lets commuter embrace a scenery of the Meadow and the River Irwell.
Through time, carved oak panels react to chemical substance from surrounding express a sense of age. The carved random diagonal pattern and the oak smooth surface cast shadow on its surface adding another dimension to whole facade which give a glimpse of living thing.
A simple structure of a half-through truss sits on fragmented concrete columns which penetrates gently through soil by minimising column diameter and optimising number of column. The structure and elements weave into surrounding humbly
Most landscape area is left deliberately untouched. Only a fragmented columns and benches scatter around a landing area and underneath the bridge on the meadow to expose a visitor to the natural environment.
Project Title: Salford Meadows Bridge
Client: Salford City Council
Architect: pruthiphon buakaew Co., Ltd. www.pruthiphon.com
Project Design Team: Lalita Ratanaprapa, Pruthiphon Buakaew
Site Area: 7 Hectares
Gross Floor Area: approximately 500 m2
Location: The Meadow, Salford, United Kingdom.
Lat 53.485537 Long -2.270447 Project