Albany Lakes Art Bridge
The Albany Lakes Art Bridge was a collaboration of art, engineering, design and construction. It features prominently in the Albany Lakes Reserve, a new 6 hectare civic park in Albany, North Shore City. The bridge spans 57 metres over upper and lower stormwater lakes which cover 3.5 hectares of the 6 hectare reserve. It provides a key pedestrian link north to south through the reserve, connecting the Westfield Retail and Entertainment Centre and the future planned Main Street (shops, entertainment, businesses and residential).
We wanted to create a space for reflection. A place where you return to the elemental rawness which is the heart of this land and our place within it.
As our globalised urban landscapes become more and more complex, more and more hurried, we long for a counterpoint, where we are nurtured by a calm sense of belonging, wellbeing and inspiration.
This park is nested in a commercial environment. More than just a way to get from one side of the park to the other, the bridge becomes an opportunity for people to stop and reflect. For at least a moment, there is a window to think about life in another context.
‘(The Albany Lakes Art Bridge) is a grunty as well as an elegant structure, a substantial work that is a fusion of artistic vision and engineering competence.’
Architecture New Zealand 4.2009
VIEW 2 MINUTE COMPLETION SLIDESHOW HERE> http://www.perfectclarity.tv/player3/player3.php?video=cabal2&theme=blac...
VIEW 2 MINUTE CONSTRUCTION SLIDESHOW HERE> http://www.perfectclarity.tv/player3/player3.php?video=cabal&theme=black
Client: North Shore City Council
Artist: Caroline Robinson
Engineer: Beca Infrastructure
Landscape Architects: Soul Environments
Lighting Design: Lightworks
Head Contractors Stage One: Dempsey and Wood Civil Contractors Ltd
Head Contractors Stage Two: NZ Strong Ltd
Project Management: Proicere and Beca
Site: Civic Crescent, Albany, North Shore City, New Zealand
DESIGN FEATURES
Bridge Structure
This stone pathway is a minimal structure which draws a clean line across the top of the 4.5 metre high stone faced bund which separates the twin lakes. The bridge is a post tensioned concrete slab dressed with granite and limestone. It stretches 57 metres between concrete reinforced abutments at the lake edges and is supported by five bored piles reaching 20-25 metres down to Waitemata sandstone. Granite posts (1100mm high x 120mm x 120mm and spaced 100mm apart) stretch along the western edge of the deck, creating a dramatic feature whilst performing the function of a balustrade.
West elevation
A beautiful collection of ochre stained greywacke river stone is laid across the across the full 980sqm face of the bund. 13 Jurassic conglomerate boulders (1.5 - 4.5m3) form a strong east–west axis line connecting the bund with the lake floor. The upper lake waters flow over the reinforced concrete weir at a section under the central bridge platform. As the upper lake levels rise in flood times, water will flow over the entire length of the bund. With the changing water flows, the large boulders will be covered and revealed by the ‘tides’.
Central Platform
The 5.5 metre wide deck is dressed with 110mm-220mm wide bands of limestone pavers, stretching from one side of the deck to the other in alternating hues and textures. The circular platform at the bridge centre provides a space of contemplation and rendezvous, poised over moving water with uplifting views across the lakes and park. The platform surface features a red and gold travertine swirl detail, and a central cast glass disc. These warm colours highlight the naturally occurring colours of Albany’s iron salted earth. Elegant feature post ‘antennae’ stretch high above the bridge, to the east (conglomerate pebble aggregate concrete, with a vertical red cast glass tile strip) and to the west (tapered, coiled steel). Together they draw attention to the central platform and play a role as receptors and transmitters.
East Elevation
The eastern edge of the bridge deck tapers to just 200mm thick and canter-levers a mere 1 meter above the upper lake water level. The hand sculpted steel balustrade is a sinuous, character rich feature, continuous along the length of the bridge. Its finish is a unique hot dip galvinised patina. The balustrade features a coiled steel bar handrail, and a linear box housing continuous LED lighting that washes the deck with white light at night.
Light and Shadow
During the day, shadows cast from the steel balustrade and granite balustrade, create a dynamic texture across the limestone paving. Long shadows from the antennae likewise add a dynamic aspect to the geometry of the bridge. At night the bridge comes to life with continuous lighting both under and on top of the bridge deck. The bridge appears to float on light.
Integration
The aesthetics and material used on the bridge are conceived to be in harmony with elements within the surrounding park. The granite post balustrade continues both north and south beyond the bridge abutments, anchoring the bridge into the wider context.
COLLABORATORS AND CO-CREATORS
CLIENT:
North Shore City Council Parks Department
Julie Pickering
Martyn van Jaarsveld
PROJECT MANAGEMENT:
Proicere Limited
Andrew Rutledge
Beca
Andrew Collow
Hamish Joyce
Matthew Whitehead
DESIGN COLLABORATORS:
Caroline Robinson, Artist
Soul Environments
Catherine Hamilton
Frazer Baggaley
Beca Infrastructure
Will Pank
Andrew Ball
Greg Williams
Nigel Mather
Mary Wood
Roddy Copeland
Light Works Ltd
Richard Bracebridge
Dr. Arnold Manaaki Wilson
Ian Vincent
Greg Smith Glass
Mike Smith
European Ceramics and Stone Ltd
Jason McGranaghan
Auckland Stone Masons Ltd
Len Lavas
Springbank General Metalwork
Dave Watts
WT Partnership
Roger Onion
Karen Blair Consultants
Karen Blair
CONSTRUCTION COLLABORATORS:
NZ Strong Construction Ltd
Shane Brealey
Rob Jones
Craig Atkinson
Stephen Brown
Andrew Hollow
Benji Potvin
Megan Roberts
Paddy Molloy
Rochelle Nicolson
Dempsey and Wood Civil Contractors Ltd
Mike Prime
GHP Piling
Calibre Engineering NZ Ltd
Jim Rowley
Force Concrete Ltd
Allendale Electrical
Best Tilers Ltd
Italian Stone Ltd
Tile Union Ltd
Auckland Stone Masons Ltd
Len Lavas
Bart Mundy
Stevenson Precast Systems
Dave Milina Structural Stone Ltd
Consolidated Engineering Co Ltd
Springbank General Metalwork
Materials Processing Ltd
Peter Fredricsen
Earnie Sharp
Emerald Downs Quarry
The House of Elliot
Diana Elliot
2 minute construction slide show:
http://www.perfectclarity.tv/player3/player3.php?video=cabal&theme=black
Feature Article Architecture NZ July/August 2009:
http://www.carolinerobinson.co.nz/images/ArchitectureNZ_AlbanyLakesArtBr...
http://www.carolinerobinson.co.nz
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Albany_Opening Speech NOV09.pdf | 67.36 KB |
Social bookmarking
Member Profile
Caroline Robinson:
www.carolinerobinson.co.nz
ART WITHIN LANDSCAPE AND ARCHITECTURE
personal and collective mythology
Ideas about place making are changing, as our society feels the torque of the unsustainable environmental pressures we have put on the earth. Added to the rise of complexity in our social and cultural dynamics, these challenges evoke a call for a deeper humanity and a more bold imagination. Being at the heart of this collective conversation is what art means to me, exploring questions about who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going.
I sculpt and build with durable materials such as stone, steel and earth, animating public and private spaces with a raw physicality and mythology. The wisdom embedded within each context inspires me, and I use both instinct and active research to draw connections through cultural memory and identity, geology, biology and the full diversity of life expressed within our physical landscapes. The engagement and enhancement of this richness is both provocative and practical as a way of thinking about the future landscapes we are building.
