Footbridge-Varthur Road
Indian roads are unfriendly domains for the pedestrian. The vibrant messiness of the road is colorful but it also highlights the poorly organised and unfinished character of urban India. Footbridges give the pedestrian a safe crossover over busy vehicular streets. The footbridge is designed as a triangular tube that turns across the street.
These simple engineered structures can become beautiful public sculptures that one can walk through where public good, art and engineering can come together. Located in a busy junction, this footbridge provides essential safe passage to pedestrians.
Its makes the structural lattice into an architectural sculpture that pedestrians can safely use to cross the busy street.
The architectural character of this bridge is in its triangular geometry, in cross section as well as in composition. Under the skin, the structure is designed as long span base trusses that carry the tubular lattice which holds up the billboard. This transfer of load in triangular geometry is softened by the skin, with curved edges and blunted corners. This complements the core function of the bridge from one that merely aids crossing over the road below to a sculptural and experiential public architecture.
Photography: Shine Parsana
