London Bridge Opens Like A Traditional Japanese Fan [Pictures]
Challenging design for a UK walkway brings an Asian aesthetic to the city.
Knight Architects specialise in bridges – which might explain why they have taken on the challenge of creating a hydraulic bridge that opens and closes like a Japanese fan.
The 20-meter long bridge is only 3-meters wide but features a unique raising mechanism that has been described by the firm as “kinetic design.” It features five separate steel beams that make up the deck of the bridge, each one raising slightly less than the last – giving it the characteristic fan shape.
At night the bridge is illuminated by LED lights and apart from the hydraulics, it uses counterweights to reduce the energy requirements of the fan mechanism.