Oh how the Brits love their bridges. Well, we here at Yanko Design also love bridges and this “Tree Top Walkway” bridge by Marks Barfield Architects is certainly one for our books. Overlooking The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this bridge is 18m high and 200m long, giving you a bird’s eye view of Kew and the opportunity to discover the rich biodiversity of the forest canopy. Julia Barfield, Principal, explains, “we wanted the walkway to be a visually light, discreet presence, at ease in its natural surroundings; while at the same time being unashamedly man-made. In order to minimise the visual impact we decided to integrate the structure with the handrail support and drew on the Fibonacci sequence, which underlies many growth patterns in nature, to establish the setting out of the principal structural elements.” The architects took special consideration when planting the pylons. A radar survey was undertaken to map the extent of tree root activity at the proposed pylon and pile foundation locations. Armed with this detailed information, the design team were able to strategically position the 12-18m long concrete piles between the major roots.
Architect: Marks Barfield [ Via: Telegraph & Dezeen ]
