WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo PHOTO Edmund Sumner
In our ideal VISI universe, call it a VISIverse, even the most functional things would go beyond mere practicality. They would be things of beauty, and such is the new bridge in Paddington’s Merchant Square in London.
The Merchant Square Footbridge, which was created by Knight Architects, together with structural engineers AKT II, is made up of five steel beams that rise and fall using hydraulic jacks to allow boats to pass.
The beams rise and fall in sequence; the highest beam rises up to a 70° angle, with the following four rising up to lesser degrees in order to portray a fan-like effect. The space created then allows boats up to 2.5m in height to pass underneath the bridge.
It is a feat of technology and structural design, especially when considering the fact that each of the steel beams weighs between six and seven tons, and that they are counterweighted with a further 40 concrete-filled tons to keep them steady as they fall over the Grand Union Canal.
The bridge is part of a wider regeneration effort by the city for the specific site. Future plans include a water maze, a garden, as well as several new buildings.
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