Architects McDowell+Benedetti designed the 130-metre long
S-shaped footbridge. It is one of a number of regeneration projects
in Castleford - including Tickle Cock Bridge Underpass by DSDHA
architects. The £4.8 million bridge has been funded by Wakefield
Council, Yorkshire Forward and English Partnerships. It creates a
safer more pleasant pedestrian route than the 200 year-old
Victorian road bridge further downstream. The new bridge will unite
the north and south of Castleford’s riverside community connecting
Aire Street to Mill Lane.
The opening of the bridge marks the completion of The Castleford
Project group of community improvement schemes in the former mining
town of Castleford. The initiative is the focus of a major
forthcoming television series, which will be presented by Kevin
McCloud, presenter of Channel 4’s ‘Grand Designs’, and televised on
Channel 4 this August. Architects of the bridge McDowell+Benedetti
were selected by local community representatives as winners of an
invited competition in 2003 to design a river crossing as part of a
wider waterfront regeneration masterplan. Principal Renato Bendetti
has worked closely with the community project champions from the
outset in a committed consultation process which helped to ensure
the quality of the design.
Designed by McDowell+Bendetti with Alan Baxter Associates and
Arup and constructed by Costain, Castleford bridge is the most
ambitious of the eleven interventions in Castleford and has already
been shortlisted for the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for
Better Public Buildings as part of the British Construction
Industry Awards scheme. Anchored by only three V-shaped supports,
the deck structure appears to hover over the River Aire offering a
‘magic carpet’ from which to enjoy the picturesque setting.
The streamlined timber deck bridge is designed as a generous
public space as well as a route, with the structure rising through
the deck to create four 20 metre curving benches to sit and enjoy
the panoramic views. Materials include untreated Cumaru timber for
the bridge decking and handrail, stainless steel for the
balustrades, tension cables, bench panels and a central grille in
the timber deck to mark the midpoint of contra-flexure.
The bridge is the first major bridge in the UK which is fully
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. The curved Cumaru
timber boards have been sourced from sustainable forests in Brazil
and were chosen for their durability (Cumaru is two and half times
the density of oak). The decking area is 524m2 and if laid end to
end the boards would stretch a distance of 8km. The boards run
longitudinally along the bridge and over the benches (with
anti-slip strips on the edge) and are fitted together by a unique
concealed clamped-fixing system, tailor made for the project. This
system avoids invasive drilling and minimises disruption to the
bridge’s slender deck and streamlined form. It presents the maximum
timber surface to walk on, while allowing the wood to expand,
contract and weather naturally.
Lighting is embedded under the Cumaru handrails, which run the
130m length of the bridge. Balustrade posts are curved to reduce
climb-ability and a series of stainless steel marker plates which
sit flush with the deck and rise up from the benches, create arm
rests to define personal space and to dissuade skateboarders from
edge ‘grinding.’ The understated engineering is subtly innovative
and integral with the construction methodology. Four identical 26m
curved spans are joined by three 9m support spans, two curved and
the third straight (at the central point of contra flexure). The
continuous spanning structure consists of two 500mm x 400mm box
beams, with one box beam increasing in depth to 1000mm, to provide
the additional strength required for each long span. This extra
structure rises above the deck in a gentle curve to create generous
benches in a wave-like rhythm over the length of the bridge,
minimising overall bridge height while maintaining the 1 in 100
year estimated flood water-clearance required by the Environment
Agency.
The three white bridge supports also minimise visual impact and
disruption of river flow. Twinned double steel columns branch off
foundation caps in a ‘V’ formation spreading the load at bridge
level. The base of these columns is permanently below water to
emphasise thinness. Twinned stainless steel fins cantilever off the
main spanning beams, between which bearers for the timber decking
are fixed. The structural timber deck is unfinished Cumaru boards
that span ±800mm between the bearers. Every element contributes
structurally to ensure the overall profile is as thin and refined
as possible
The cache is placed in the centre of the bridge, look out for
some interesting features like the old boat wreck in the weir and
the mesh hole in the bridge. A great driveby cache or brake from
shopping in castleford.