ASPECT wins Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway competition
As Auckland continues to grapple with the idea of a pedestrian/cycleway across its harbour bridge Sydney has announced a major cycling addition to its own iconic bridge.
A team led by ASPECT Studios has come up with a winning design for a serpentine cycleway that it describes as “light, fluid and transparent.
The NSW Government launched an international hunt for a solution which would enable cyclists to transition seamlessly from the bridge’s northern end to Bradfield Park.
Previously ASPECT director Sacha Coles has said “Working on a critical public infrastructure project that will make a positive contribution to the health and wellbeing of the community, improve public accessibility around the harbour, and respects the site’s significant heritage and cultural values is something we are very passionate about.” All images provided by ASPECT Studios.
Sydney’s Harbour Bridge cycleway is one of the most popular in the city, with around 2000 bike trips each weekday. Director of ASPECT Studios, Sacha Coles, said the strength of the winning design lies in it’s appreciation of the existing context.
“It would be hard to overstate the value of the Harbour Bridge to Sydney, New South Wales, and all of Australia,” Coles said. “Our design will create a major piece of active transport infrastructure for Sydney, while at the same time retaining, respecting and revealing what is already in place.
“The Country-centred design will give physical form to the stories and movements of the Gadigal and Cammeraygal people.”
The ASPECT-led design team comprises design partners Collins and Turner, and Yerrabingin, Design 5 Architects, Eckersley O’Callaghan, JMT Consulting and Electrolight.
The public helped choose the winning design.
The curving bridge is minimal in its solution and organic in its geometry, according to Coles. The design team looked to a wide range of sources in the natural and modern worlds to arrive at the winning design, which ties this project to its place.
The cycleway will retain the existing relationship between the Harbour Bridge and Bradfield Park by ensuring that any intrusion on views to the bridge for park visitors and residents is minimised.
To retain the legibility of state heritage-listed structures like the Milsons Point Station entrance and the Burton Street arch, the alignment of the cycleway has been designed to match that of the viaduct – leaving the park open and uncluttered. The cycleway touches the ground onto an existing path, minimising the requirement for additional hard surfaces and preserving all existing trees.
This project will solve a number of pressing questions about the flows of active transport in Sydney. Currently, riders must climb 55 steps at the northern end of the bridge and push their bikes through safety barriers at the top for access. At peak times, this obstacle congests movement and creates a safety hazard. At the same time, the cycleway will make active transport an accessible choice for a larger number of people, ASPECT says.
The Government went global in its search for an innovative design that was not only worthy of the famous bridge, but also respected the heritage of the area.
“Our purpose is to reveal the essential qualities of place, the landscape, its history, social rituals and cultural significance through design. In this project, the ASPECT-led team is championing a creative solution that enhances the way people interact with several treasured heritage places – while simultaneously creating an accessible piece of infrastructure that meets the urgent needs of a major city in the 21st Century.”
The team will now move on to the concept and detailed design stage of the project, with construction expected to start in 2023.