Nature Walk Bridge

My design narrative centers around connecting people to nature. Philadelphia is well known for having natural attractions, any point in the city being 10 minutes away from the nearest park. However, there are places where nature is not as accessible without a motor vehicle. My bridge allows for pedestrians and bikes to safely cross between multiple natural landmarks without affecting the environment.

Revit 2023

My inspiration for this project was the Christiana River Bike Bridge in Wilmington, Delaware, which connects to the Russell Peterson Wildlife Refuge. I appreciated how it respected nature by blending in and not requiring many materials, and also providing a new attraction for the local neighborhoods. The natural appeal is especially important in an area like downtown Wilmington, which could use more natural attractions to contrast with the vast manmade cityscape.

For my initial sketch, I wanted to have an open bridge with a diamond shaped design. This

I chose this location because it offers access to the Philadelphia Zoo, Lemon Hill Park, and Fairmount Park at the same time. This way, pedestrians/bikers have multiple options for recreation at the same time with little extra effort. The bridge ended up being 1,517' in length, 24' in width, and 555' in height.

After examining my original design, I realized that the windload would compromise the structural integrity of the bridge. So this redesign helps decrease the windload while staying true to the bridge's form and dimensions.

This is my completed bridge.