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Avery Associates Architects
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The new footbridge was designed to replace a disused ferry crossing and thereby re-connect the college with the Liddell Building and sports fields on the opposite bank of the Cherwell.
The genius loci here must include, of course, the beautiful setting, but it must include too the fact of Oxford and Christ Church and the classical context.
It cannot ignore either that the bridge is to be used by students, hugely talented young people who will come here to Christ Church Meadow, perhaps prosaically just to cross the river, but who might also come to reflect in solitude, or join with friends, or even to pursue a romantic dalliance.
The bridge, then, is more than just a crossing, it is a place. To celebrate this special place, we have put at the centre of the span some seats, like a theatre 'box' and over them, a laminated white glass canopy to provide shade and shelter. Embedded within the canopy are photovoltaic cells to generate electricity for a dramatic illumination of the bridge at night.
In this way the Bridge has every potential to become a small but very significant new landmark and a practical but exciting new addition to the life of the college.
Avery Associates Architects © 2009 |
