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London Bridge 800: An Inhabited Bridge Competition

Sponsor: The Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects, RIBA

Type: open, 1-stage

Language: English

Registration:
£35.00 (professional)
£10.00 (students)

Eligibility: registered architects and students of architecture

Awards:
1st Prize – £2,000
2nd Prize – £1,000
3rd Prize – £500

Timetable:
22 June 2009 – registration deadline
25 June 2009 – submission deadline
29 June 2009 – judging
6 July 2009 – winners notified
11 July 2009 – exhibition of winning entries

Jury: to be announced

Design Challenge:
Entrants are required to submit ideas for a new version of the inhabited bridge, based upon the following design requirements and assumptions:

The present road bridge will be taken as the platform for its development; its strength is deemed (for the purpose of the competition only) capable of supporting up to six stories of conventional construction. The six storey limit is related to habitable accommodation but structures taller than this would be acceptable for viewing platforms, place markers, wind turbines etc.

It is proposed to close the bridge to all wheeled traffic with the exception of emergency vehicles. Service vehicles will be allowed to use the bridge at limited hours.
Public transport across the river will be achieved through a transit system of some kind, eg. airport-style transit. This will link the London Bridge and Monument stations to provide for the mass of commuters. Competitors are asked only to include the transit design as it crosses the bridge, not showing its links to the stations. River views from the transit, at least at intervals, are desirable. Modes of transport that mesh with the historic context of the bridge or have distinct ecological advantages would be considered appropriate.

A mid-stream pier for river traffic is required, downstream of the bridge and aligned with one of the bridge’s supports. A wide footway is to be provided, of at least 9 m, potentially also used for emergency and services vehicles. The footway should have river views continuously or at intervals. Buildings on the bridge should have their mains services (water supply, drainage, electricity, information, waste disposal) run above the present bridge structure. All bridge properties will have a common source of heat and power from a Fuel Cell CHP station on the bridge. Waste not recycled will be collected by vacuum tube for use as fuel elsewhere.

The bridge properties will be leasehold, managed as a whole by the Bridge House Trust. Walkway level on the bridge should accommodate principally retail, cafes and galleries, together with access to upper levels. Upper levels can have either residential or non-residential uses, provided only that all uses are good neighbors to residential users.

All designs should meet the building regulations, including those for disabled access. All external surfaces should be safely accessed for maintenance purposes

Submission Requirements:
The design should be submitted on a single A1 board. The content of the A1 sheet is left to competitors’ discretion and may include architectural drawings, plans, elevations, three-dimensional representations and all supporting text. Models will not be accepted however photographs of models may be included.

A copy of the submission should be provided in pdf format, on a CD-ROM. The CD should also include a single image in jpeg format at 300dpi (high resolution for publications) and 72dpi (low resolution for web).

Email: [email protected]