NEX Wins Pedestrian Bridge Design Competition in Dublin

NEX, with engineering support from AKT, has won an open international design competition for a bridge across the River Dodder in central Dublin. The pedestrian bridge is being commissioned by the Mountbrook Group as part of their major redevelopment of the site of the existing Jury’s/Berkeley Court Hotels in Ballsbridge, and when in place it will complete the revitalisation of the pedestrian network areas between Shelbourne and Pembroke Roads.

The design of the bridge takes the constraint imposed by river channel clearance and turns it into an opportunity to create a hybrid of pedestrian infrastructure and civic amenity.  The bridge structure avoids aerial acrobatics in favour of a more subtle and unexpected solution.  The main central spine passes above the deck on the lower south bank creating an extended seating area to enjoy the views of river.
The structure is fabricated from rolled steel plate and painted a vibrant light blue.  A central spine and two edge beams frame the open soffit of thin plate stiffeners which provide a visual richness that registers the changing profile of the deck across the span.  The railings are fabricated from a stainless steel handrail and thin steel cables to maximise transparency through the structure.

(Dodder Bridge images provided by NEX)


About NEX
NEX is an architecture and design office established by Alan Dempsey and based in London. The office has an international profile with projects that cover design, architecture, and infrastructure in the UK and Europe.

In addition to the Dodder Bridge, current projects include a pavilion at the Gropius Bau Museum in Berlin in collaboration with legendary production designer, Sir Ken Adam and the Orneberg Foundation and the [C]space DRL10 Pavilion (image below, read about the pavilion’s auction on September 25).