Sensational-Adelaide.com

Oval footbridge glass cladding adds class


This story was published: 9 hours ago February 11, 2014 11:31AM





Niko Tsoukalas in front of the footbridge. Pic Keryn Stevens. Source: News Limited




ELEGANT glass cladding wrapped around the new River Torrens footbridge is gradually being revealed as work on the project nears an end.

Lead design company Aurecon says it is on target to have the $40 million bridge finished in time for football games starting at Adelaide Oval in March.

Technical director Niko Tsoukalas said workers were on the “home stretch” with paving, decking and final work on the water features now happening.

Mr Tsoukalas said the work was a tribute to South Australian talent with the technical expertise behind the 2000msq curved glass cladding an Australian first.

“It wraps itself around the whole perimeter of the form of the bridge itself to give it that elegant, slender design characteristic, it’s a classy finish,” he said.

“It’s like SAMHRI from an engineering glass perspective, using expertise to create something different for the city.

“It’s that recognition that South Australia has this kind of talent here and we don’t have to look overseas.”

The project to build the 255 metre long and eight metre wide bridge was led by engineering firm Aurecon working with designers Taylor Cullity Lethlean and architects Tonkin Zulaihka Greer.

Mr Tsoukalas said more than 40 people from the Aurecon and sub-consultant design team had worked on the project, since construction started in March last year.

The bridge was temporarily opened for the Ashes cricket held at the Adelaide Oval in December.

“It was a very good example of how we found people just instinctively knew where to go (from North Tce to the Adelaide Oval),” Mr Tsoukalas said.

Mr Tsoukalas said the work had involved building the bridge that linked the Adelaide Oval’s redeveloped southern gates to the southern landing point west of the Dunstan Playhouse near the Adelaide Railway Station concourse.

It also involved redeveloping the Adelaide festival bistro, grand stairs and two water features.

He said despite the bridge being opened during The Ashes, people wouldn’t get a real feel for the design until it was completed, when the glass was revealed, and it was used in all its potential “modes”.

These included possibilities for it to be used as a theatre stage or by having “plug and play” mini events set up along its length

Matt wrote:All the cladding is glass, particularly the underside to reflect the water.

Has anyone seen it in person?

Nort wrote:

Matt wrote:All the cladding is glass, particularly the underside to reflect the water.

Has anyone seen it in person?

It looks amazing in person. I was quite put off by the photos I'd seen because the cladding looked like it had massive gaps between panels, but in reality it's sexy as all hell.

Honey of a City wrote:The bridge was open tonight for a private function at the oval, so that the guests could stroll over Lola's on the south bank. Spoke to a workman who says it should be open to the public in a couple of weeks, though the cladding and surrounds will still be unfinished. So looking like it'll be open for the Stones concert.