Over The Ij
Team
Name: Alfred Gomez
Nationality: Canadian
Name: Christopher Gulinao
Nationality: Canadian
-FINALIST of Amsterdam Cycling Bridge Competition
The City of Amsterdam is the epicentre for bicycle culture, with over two million kilometres travelled by cyclists daily, and over 665,000 trips performed per day. Over the Ij will serve as an important piece of cycling/pedestrian infrastructure that will connect Amsterdam-Noord and Amsterdam-Centrum across the River Ij.
The bridge features cantilevered garden docks at both ends, which house tulip gardens with a meandering multi-use ramp for access. The main span of the bridge sits atop a central column that will enable the span to rotate 90 degrees, allowing for ships to pass through.
The bridge will be a symbolic piece of mobility infrastructure on Amsterdam’s waterfront. A contemporary expression of a windmill and its mechanics, Over the Ij will link together the notion of water, landscape, movement and urbanism. The bridge draws water from the Ij River, imitating the historical use of windmills to pump water out the lowlands in order to farm the land. Water is then pumped out back to the river as an aesthetic element for the bridge. Just like the importance of water in giving life, Over the Ij breathes new life to the following; a new North-South connection, native landscape on the bridge, and the notion of a bridge as a public plaza.
#Large Water Infrastructure #Accessible #Contemporary #Landscape #Public Realm
