A series of green public spaces will be landscaped around the Water Orton viaducts that Weston Williamson + Partners has designed in Warwickshire for the High Speed Two railway.
The viaducts, which will be built near the village of Water Orton, have been developed for a section of the high-speed railway that branches west towards Birmingham and north towards Crewe.
Weston Williamson + Partners' proposal is intended to have a low visual impact on existing rural landscapes in the area, with both concrete viaducts developed to be as slender as structurally possible.
There will also be large spans between their supporting piers, creating space at ground level for the landscaping of green public spaces including allotments and a "community-led orchard". The Water Orton viaducts will be surrounded by green public spaces
"Our approach at Water Orton has been to design structures which are in constant dialogue with the landscape, in parts screened and concealed by vegetation and elsewhere emerging into clearings, creating a bold and dramatic view," said Nick McGough, the studio's associate partner.
"The team has worked hard to elegantly sculpt these viaducts into the most narrow and slender structures possible, with large spans which reduce the number of piers," he explained.
"This minimises the locations where the structure touches the ground, improves the sustainability performance of the viaducts, and also creates opportunities for new green sp...