An expanded portfolio of the West End Bridge/Glow design process may be found at listenresearchdraw.com
With a nod to the past and a bridge to the future, this project posits a series of (re)connections across the 3 rivers of Pittsburgh, consisting of pedestrian additions to the West End, Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne bridges and a new stand-alone Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Pedestrian Bridge. These connections will stitch the city together across the rivers and enable the developing riverfront district. The design at each bridge employs an innovative composite material, with an extremely lightweight structure and surface, manufactured as layers of FRP. Within these component layers a luminescent pigment is included which absorbs direct and ambient sunlight emitting an iconic yet subtle glow each evening. This unforgettable glow combines with the dramatically slender clear span, impossible in steel or concrete, to embody the spirit of Pittsburgh's future.
The Carbon FRP bridge will be the longest clearspan pedestrian bridge in the world. The high tech FRP material has an extremely favorable strength to weight ratio which allows for the ultra-slim profile and enormous span. This bridge continues the tradition of technological innovation and beauty in the City of Bridges.
In support of the riverfront redevelopment, distances between bridges are cut in half by the new Carbon FRP bridge. The Duquesne incline is linked with the stadium and science center as the city is made more accessible to the pedestrian.
Fiber Reinforced Polymers make this project possible. Currently this material is used to reinforce ailing steel and concrete bridges, and is therefore perfectly suited for attachment to the West End Bridge. FRP composites are five times lighter than comparable designs in steel and ten times lighter than those in concrete. It is this dramatic lightness that makes the slim profile and long span possible. FRP composites are also highly graffiti resistant making them successful in an urban environment.
The glow of the FRP composite echoes the historic past of the "steel city" and represents the future in Pittsburgh's vast material science resources and manufacturing prowess. This gentle glow is an unmistakable icon of the three rivers while presenting an ecological sensitivity to the need for a dark sky.