11. Millénaire Footbridge, France | Pedestrian Bridge
Another French pedestrian bridge painted in bright red, the Millénaire bridge is located near a shipping dock and has been built by Explorations Architecture. Completed in 2016, the bridge is a mixed-use development spanning the dock (180 meters) constructed to create a new promenade along the Saint-Denis Canal in northern Paris. A viewing spot or belvedere connects two separate decks which are supported by inclined pinned steel columns resting on a concrete base. The bridge is also easily accessible for wheelchair traffic as per the city council requirements.
12. Peace Bridge, Canada
Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the peace bridge was designed to aid the traffic of nearly 5000 people every day coming in and out of the city of Calgary. The unique and aesthetic design is much different from Calatravo’s earlier works. Completed in 2010, the pedestrian bridge spans the 130 meters wide river and is without prominent features such as masts and steel cables. The unique tubular design is compensation for the fact that the bridge does not have any vertical support like peers in the riverbed. The shape is thus a clever technical solution. The bridge has separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians and is covered in glass to allow for movement throughout the year.
13. Henderson Wave, Singapore | Pedestrian Bridge
Not all the world’s amazing pedestrian bridges are located in the Northern Hemisphere. Down south in Singapore, one of the greenest cities on the planet exists a bridge named the Henderson Wave. True to its name, the pedestrian bridge mimics a wave in motion. It is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore at 36 meters above the road (118 feet) and connecting the Telok Blangah Hill Park to Mount Faber stretching 274 meters (899 feet). The walkway is finished in yellow Balau wood from East Malaysia while the undulated wave itself is formed by steel ribs rising, at some places to even form an alcove for pedestrians to sit and take shade from the sun. The bridge is meant for people to cross but it also provides for panoramic pictures of the forested area, spots for bird watchers, and seating spaces for couples and families.
14. Pedestrian Bridge of Pingshan High School, China
Completed in 2019 by Node Architecture and Urbanism, the Pingshan River Bridge appears as if a pavilion. Located in the north of Shenzhen the bridge connects several residential, commercial, and office places on the south bank with the north bank. The form and structure of the bridge are based on ‘Hakka’ – a traditional Chinese housing typology and interpreting it in a contemporary form. Spanning 70 meters in length, the bridge divides itself into two at the base of the southern bank to cater to different people coming in from different directions in hope of cutting a bottleneck. The bridge rides above its terrain like a contemporary figure yet somehow seems to float above the river. Lamps and conduits concealed in the bridge present a spectacular lighting experience at sundown illuminating the robust structural components of the bridge.
15. High Trestle Trail Bridge, United States of America | Pedestrian Bridge
When you’re the fifth-longest pedestrian bridge in the United States, you need to be either structurally creative or visually artistic. The High Trestle Trail bridge, is really, neither. RDG Planning and Design instead went down a trail of local history and refurbished the older version of the bridge, adding a tunnel of steel cribs that imitate the structure of a mine shaft. The experience of walking through the cribs evokes a sense of a brutalist-striped down-futuristic journey. Collaborating with public artists and lighting designers the bridge has become known for its economic influence on the surrounding cities. In fact, the true beauty of the bridge is seen at sunset. Blue slips of LED line the steel crib, making the pedestrian feel as if traveling through a light well into the future. The playful geometry of the cribs adds a surreal experience to the whole journey.
16. Kintai Bridge, Japan
An object of admiration for hundreds of years, the Kintai Bridge built over the Nishiki River has seen samurais, shoguns, World War II, and a devastating typhoon, all in a lifespan. Built in 1673, the bridge was rebuilt in 1953 after its destruction in a typhoon in 1950. The bridge does not have the name of a famous structural icon or an architect attached to it. The pedestrian bridge was conceived by a feudal lord and rebuilt by residents who came together to re-establish the local icon. Built out of wood with five arches spanning the length in sequence and sitting on stone piers, the construction cost a little over 2 billion yen ($18.7 million). It is also the only pedestrian bridge that charges the pedestrian for crossing over, a mere compensation for traversing a national treasure. With the bridge spanning a length of 175 meters (575 feet) and 5 meters in width (16 feet), the Kintai Bridge is a must-see bridge especially during the cherry blossom season and the color-changing maple season.
17. Xiaomeisha Split Bridge, China
The Split Bridge is just that, a bridge split into two, giving the pedestrian a choice to take a quick straight route over the Dapeng Bay, or a longer more scenic route, within the same distance. Built by Jane Z Studio in 2017, the pedestrian bridge is 8 meters wide and split equally from the center. One part provides joggers and cyclists, and people in wheelchairs traverse the scenic crossing. The other part is an undulating curved path resembling the gently rolling hills of the region with the lowest point a little above the lake level to a point higher than the other bridge. During the construction, care had to be taken to adjust the geometry of the whole structure to avoid a hyperboloid geometry which could cause problems. A red floor tile pattern dominates the straight path which is the only color that stands out, keeping the viewer more focused on the forested area.
18. Quingpu Pedestrian Bridge, China | Pedestrian Bridge
The Quingpu Pedestrian Bridge was completed in 2008 by CA-Design and features a metal truss all around cladded by a wooden roof. The exposed steel structure creates an effect of the bridge floating in the air above the river. The bridge breaks its linear direction at the midpoint creating a point of tension but also a place for pedestrians to rest and take pictures of the river. The break in direction also results in the asymmetric structural shape of the bridge, which rises out of the landscape in a visually captivating way.
19. Bostanli Pedestrian Bridge, Turkey
A mixed purpose architectural structure by Studio Evren Basbug, the Bostanli Bridge is a public viewing space, recreational space, and crossing all in one. Part of the Izmir Sea regeneration project the structure, built in 2016, consists of bow-shaped steel geometry arranged to give a nice sitting space for the public. The deck is cladded with a wooden surface with the seats made from thermo-wood surfaces for a comfortable experience. The bridge has an asymmetrical cross-section which also enables small boats to pass below it. The bridge goes beyond just infrastructure and becomes part of the urban coastline, an object of public leisure.
20. Scale Lane Bridge, England | Pedestrian Bridge
Shaped much like an apostrophe, this pedestrian bridge built by McDowell+Benedetti in 2013 features a rotating mechanism that makes more than half the bridge swing open to enable boats to pass on the river below. Developed as an ode to Hull Towns maritime and industrial heritage the prominent steel bridge has a distinctive character reminiscent of a ship’s hull. The passage on the bride itself is separated into two parts; one for sitting while the other for walking or cycling across.
