Providence Pedestrian Bridge | Providence, Rhode Island | 2018
Architects: inFORM studio + Buro Happold
Design Team: Michael Guthrie, Cory Lavigne, Ken Van Tine, Azubike Ononye, Pandush Gaqi, Tom Provost, and Anna Haezebrouck
Client: City of Providence
Photographers: Kroo Photography
General Contractor: Daniel O'Connell's Sons
Contractors: Rhode Island Department of Transportation
Structural Engineers: BuroHappold Engineering
Landscape Architects: BETA Group
This winning international competition entry for the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge reworks abandoned freeway infrastructure to connect five prominent neighborhoods and institutions within the city. Acting as a pedestrian center, the bridge not only performs as a practical connector between all regions, it offers multiple programmatic interventions to encourage community connection and social engagement among city residents. The project captures a potential much larger than that of a pure connector; it leverages integrated program elements to serve as a mediator between urban and ecological spaces, allowing east and west to become a singular public space.
As a part of the Waterfront Park Master Plan, the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge had a significant responsibility to unify the East and West Park spaces into an integrated public environment synthesizing both urban and natural conditions. The alignment of the bridge simultaneously considers fluid movement through the city, orientation, and views during the procession, and frames of view toward the bridge as an artistic object itself.
Circulation of pedestrians and cyclists is thought of as a series of tentacles gathering and dispersing travelers from numerous regions and directions. The east side of the bridge splinters into varying directions, indicating subtle axis towards James Street, Transit Street, and continuity of movement along the riverfront walk to both the north and the south. The west side abuts a 4.5-acre park, which is designed to enhance views and connectivity to the downtown, riverfront walk, and burgeoning development in the Jewelry/Innovation District.
The form of the pedestrian bridge is characterized directly by programming considerations, the orientation of access, views (urban and natural), and the amazing dichotomy between the history of Providence and the future of innovation. From 17th and 18th century tall ships to late 19th and early 20th-century jewelry factories, timber construction characterized much of the celebrated beauty of historical Providence.
Wood construction is still prized today for its old-world character and warmth. With modern innovations, this exceptionally versatile material was used to capture formal characteristics reminiscent of historical ships while simultaneously transitioning into an innovative contemporary solution. The Providence River Pedestrian Bridge is immersed within a duality of synthesizing the traditional materials of granite and wood into programs that can feel both substantial and fluid, weaving an occupiable ground plane into a seamless connection between the east and west. The project results have been cited as a precedent-setting solution for a number of bridge projects due to this innovative re-use of abandoned public infrastructure.
Several architectural components of the project required digital fabrication to achieve the narrow tolerances between design representation and the physical manifestation of the complex three-dimensional surface. The design team partnered closely with a Digital Fabrication Team to develop the component details as they related to each other and the overall bridge superstructure. Using parametric tools to develop the internal structure for each panel, the team was able to modularize the larger system for efficiency while preserving the unique form, and outer surface curves. The result accelerated the production schedule and reduced material waste and costs.
Several options for a decking material were considered early in the process (Jatoba, Cumaru, and Ipe). Following extensive research, it was determined that a South American Hardwood, Ipe, would exceed several objectives established by the design team and the client. The species' inherent resistance to rot and decay, extreme density and durability, and estimated life span of 75+ made it the ideal choice for a high-traffic public environment.
A Wana wood was used for the vertical fascia of the bridge. Commonly used in boat building, Wana maintains several of the advantageous properties found in the Ipe decking but provides increased workability, which was required to achieve the multi-layered curvature of the outer facade. The fascia cladding, which wraps both sides of the multi-level bridge was divided into 250 demountable modular panels to facilitate long-term maintenance and access to the steel superstructure for inspection and repair.
Using parametric tools to develop the internal structure for each panel, the team was able to modularize the larger system for efficiency while preserving the unique form and outer surface curves. The result accelerated the production schedule and reduced material waste and costs. Dense species like Wana are resistant to steam-bending, so the fabrication team used a technique called kerfing, where wood is cut from the backside to give each board more flexibility to achieve the curved profile.
As well as creating a visual symbol of renewal, the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge provides access to the 40 acres of prime waterfront real estate that was freed up when the old interstate was moved. So while the history of the area will remain embedded in the bridge's foundations, this new gateway will connect the site to the rest of the city and give it a new lease of life for future generations.