The New York office of architecture studio Grimshaw has created a series of sleek pre-fabricated bridges that connect Toronto with the Villiers Island urban revitalisation project.
Grimshaw Architects completed three bridges for the Port Lands Bridges project ? two single-span and one four-span ? adding to an initial three-span bridge, which was completed in 2022.
Collectively they cross three waterways in the Toronto Port Lands, an ongoing regeneration project that seeks to restore industrial infill to wetlands, linking Toronto proper with the Villiers Island development.
Grimshaw Architects has created a series of sculptural bridges in Toronto
Though they have been completed at different rates, the three Port Lands bridges all have a similar formal language executed by Grimshaw. White-painted steel was used to create a hybrid shell-arch bridge structure with curved-tied arches.
Their form and colour ? each bridge has a different bright coat of paint on the underside of its arches ? give them a futuristic tenor, while the sloping curve of their arches, with white supporting elements stretching to the broadway, create a sense of fluidity.
The bridges span three different crossings in a waterfront development
"The bridges' sculptural form is inspired by the ancient glacial landscapes of the region and pays homage to its industrial heritage through the adoption of off-site fabrication and installation techniques ? a pioneering method in road-bridge construction," Gr...