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London Bridge is going green
Ruth Bloomfield9 Jul 2009
This is London Bridge as you have never seen it before - crowned with two fantastical glass spires and surrounded by mini-gardens floating on the Thames.
The radical spire redesign has taken first place in a competition organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Entrants were asked to transform the crossing into a "living" bridge lined with buildings where people can live and work.
The competition is one of a series of celebrations to mark the 800th anniversary of the opening of the first London bridge in 1209.
Old London Bridge was originally inhabited and crammed with houses - until it became so overcrowded it regularly took an hour to cross and the city authorities decided to tear down the buildings.
A spokeswoman for Riba said the judging panel had been thrilled by the "wildly imaginative" proposals put forward by London-based architect Laurie Chetwood, founder of Chetwoods Architects.
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The spires on the bridge, which mirror nearby Tower Bridge, would have room for organic food to be grown. The produce would be sold at footpath level at an organic market. There would also be cafés, restaurants and flats.
Although the contest attracted more than 70 entries from around the world, second place was taken by a team led by another London architect and tutor at the Architectural Association - Lawrence Friesen.
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He designed a sinuous second bridge to be built above the existing crossing, which would allow traffic to continue using the link.
Third place was taken by a Polish architecture student, Ryszard Rychlicki, of the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, with a design involving modular steel "shelves" arching over the bridge.
Seven other designs were also honoured by the judges. One of the highlights is a design by a team from Irish firm WDR & RT which would transform the existing bridge into an urban park, with extra storeys added above to house a gallery, café, library and apartments.
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Competition judge Richard Saxon CBE, architectural consultant and former vice-president of Riba, said the competition had provoked a "release of imagination" from architects around the world.
Many of the schemes had a strong green element. "I think that is a measure of the profession becoming more alive to this kind of thing," said Mr Saxon. The competition was organised for the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects and was a theoretical exercise rather than a serious redevelopment proposal.
However, Mayor Boris Johnson is said to be keen on the idea of creating an £80million living crossing for the river; a 21st-century version of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
The bridge would be between Waterloo and Blackfriars and the costs could be met by the sale of the properties which would line it.
The winning entries will be on show at the London Bridge Fayre this Saturday. The bridge will be closed to traffic from 10am until 4pm.
Reader views (8)
This is complete rubbish. As resident not too far away I am sick of all the redevelopment in the area. Its 24/7 of noise, pollution and Shear mayhem at the weekends. And as for more eating places/coffee shops, we've got enough. The stretch of road from the Borough station to London Bridge is nothing more than a strip of coffee shops, pubs and sandwich bars. There is nothing for the Locals.
- Roy, london, 09/07/2009 21:32
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Great idea, hope they build one.
- Dave, Madrid, 09/07/2009 17:11
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It's completely bonkers.
(But then so are the others, so you might as well be bonkers with a bit of panache!)
- Brian, London, 09/07/2009 14:37
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Sorry Rod,it used to be a decent city but all that's gone now.I feel like a stranger.
- Steve, London, 09/07/2009 14:14
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Great feature. I like the idea of adapting and reusing the existing bridge, as shown in the second place entry --it should have won because it's both practical and beautiful
- Shearchitect, Copenhagen, Denmark, 09/07/2009 14:07
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An excellent idea from our fantastic Mayor - ambition, drive and a new landmark for London. Keep up the good work!
- Frank, London, 09/07/2009 13:08
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Steve, where is your pride in your Capital city? I think it looks wonderful....when is it being built?
- Rod, Epping, UK, 09/07/2009 11:59
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It looks bloody awful,but appropriate for London.
- Steve, London, 09/07/2009 10:11
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