Bridge Draws Jeers, Cheers
Design Finally Revealed For New $24.5M Bow River Footbridge; Architect sees 'purity' in Peace Bridge
By Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald July 29, 2009
The newly released design for the city's new pedestrian bridge has been derided by some Calgarians as a gaudy red waste of $24.5 million, and praised by others as a sleek, elegant contribution to downtown Calgary.
But to the architect, Santiago Calatrava, the Bow span is the most accessible, functional and technically challenging one he's ever made.
"For me, it's a highlight, because I have never done a bridge like that," Calatrava said in an exclusive interview with the Herald.
"Of the 14 bridges I have built, there's not one that follows this principle, not one that is done with this purity. And technically, it is a demanding bridge."
Limited by City Hall's demand that no pillars go into the Bow River, and that no high masts interfere with the nearby Eau Claire helipad, the famed architect-engineer designed a webbed, tubular structure that stretches 130 metres across the water with only a slight, one per cent slope.
Unlike almost every other bridge on Earth, the steel helix supports itself, needing no beams, arches, cables or lower supports other than embankments, hidden in the river banks.
The Peace Bridge will be completed in fall 2010, offering separate pathways for cyclists and pedestrians.
Calatrava described it repeatedly as a "human bridge," one he envisions in what he called "Canadian red," in a nod to our flag, but also to make it stand out in winter and summer.
The Spanish-born architect said he's aware of public and council lambasting of the project's cost and extravagance in the midst of recession. But he said the rebuttal is offered by New York City, which he currently calls home.
"I think the greatest achievements in New York is the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Rockefeller Center, the George Washington Bridge. Those were all built in the Great Depression," he said.
"One day or another this crisis will be finished and we will show ourselves to the future generations as courageous people, living in their future, not only in our future. I mean, in New York you have those great buildings, the greatest in the city, built in the most beautiful time."
Initial public response was mostly negative, much of it with a resentment rooted in the project's cost and skepticism of the need for a sixth bridge that pedestrians can take across the Bow downtown.
"It is hideous and I can't believe what it costs--ridiculous," Tracey Bryant wrote to the Herald.
"I cannot believe that a local architect could not have come up with a more original and appealing design," Susan Waters wrote.
"This to me looks like something a child in school would dream up and it would cost far less than $24.5 million."
Others were impressed by the unique design.
"Brilliant! Beautiful! Be proud, Calgary!" said Gordon Heinsen.
"Words that came immediately to mind when I first saw the design for the Peace Bridge were:symmetrical, fluid and airy," said Greg Schoeman.
"As interesting and as beautiful from the inside as the outside. I can't wait to walk or bike across it!"
Mayor Dave Bronconnier, accused by some aldermen of trying to deflect criticism by giving the bridge a military theme, said it's a design that will nicely link the modern condos in Eau Claire to a beautified Memorial Drive, and reduce conflict between stroller-pushing parents and commuting cyclists.
"It's a piece of infrastructure, sort of like the Centre Street Bridge. It's a very nice structure, it serves its purpose and at the same time it's an attractive bridge."
The mayor dined with Calatrava when the architect last visited in May to present his design to city staff. Bronconnier said he was impressed with how humble Calatrava was, and with how interested he was in various aspects of the Bow River.
Calatrava agreed to an interview with the Herald during that visit, on the condition it not be published until the design was released.
"I have to say that the first impressions I got about the bridge when I arrived here was that a lot of people--in a very inhospitable day--were jogging around," he said.
"And I thought for those people, and in order to blend the communication of the north side with the south side of the river bank, you need a bridge that invites you to go through, even with the speed of the wind and the speed of the snowy weather."
The city now pegs construction costs at $18 million, but the overall project at $24.5 million, including engineering costs, landscaping and contingencies.
There's $500,000 left over that council has approved for conceptual designs of another pedestrian and cycling bridge connecting East Village to Bridgeland.
Trying to ward off critics of the price tag, the city released a chart comparing the cost per square metre of the Peace Bridge -- $30,400 per in 2008 dollars--with other well-known footbridges.
London's Millennium Bridge cost $50,000 per square metre, a forthcoming Edmonton crossing cost $33,000 per square metre, while the Esplanade Riel in Winnipeg averaged $50,000.
Ron Goodfellow, like many Calgary architects, was frustrated Calatrava was selected without any design competition and chance for locals to offer designs.
He thought the design was striking, although didn't seem genuinely Calgarian.
But he said it will contribute to the city if it raises awareness of what great architecture looks like.
"That's one thing I would be using as a measuring stick if it was successful or not, or just another celebrity architect coming into Calgary and imposing something," Goodfellow said.
JMARKUSOFF@THEHERALD. CANWEST.COMLog on for the full Q&A with Calatrava, plus Don Braid's blog
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The Peace Bridge
-130 metres long, 6.2 metres wide
-$18 million to construct, $24.5 million overall
-put up for construction bids this fall, completed next fall
-Bike lanes in the centre, pedestrian paths with handrails on either side
-Tempered glass covering on top panels, open side panels for air circulation
-Lit at night with LED lights
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
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Good article and we finally get to hear from Calatrava himself on the design and influences for the bridge.
I have a question for you oldschool, since you are in the industry as you have stated before. Does the architect Ron Goodfellow at the end of the article have any ability to have designed something like this?