BROOKLYN BRIDGE + | studio 8FOLD

The brief asked, How do we make the bridge a pleasant experience for all users and inspire infrastructure and transit needs for the 21st century?

Our answer, allow spaces for dialogue from both the past, the present and the future. We aim to return wonder to the bridge, and in doing so spark conversation. Whether it be conversation between New Yorkers about the bridge’s greatly improved cycling accessibility, or a chat between vendors who are reaping the benefits of the bridge’s renewed life. We plan to engage with the city and incite delight.

Our design represents a conversation with the designers, engineers, and labourers who constructed the bridge. We aspire to preserve an aesthetic continuity with the bridge’s current design, while in keeping with our evolving needs as a 21st century society. Over the past 150 years, the bridge has been adapted to serve dynamic transportation needs - from trains to vehicles, the infrastructure has proven nimble and convertible.

Now, as we face ever-changing transport needs, our design embraces and propels us toward these developments through optimized cycle paths, enhanced pedestrian pathways, and improved way-finding.

Our proposal embraces environmentalism through multiple dimensions: materials, modularity, illumination, and mobility. Recycled plastics will be sourced for the construction of our levitating pedestrian platforms. While we are committed to using recycled plastics and steel as the materials for the project, the larger contributor for our sustainable vision comes from the modularity in design. These pedestrian platforms are light, easily interlocked and interchanged, and designed to capture the kinetic energy generated by footsteps. The easily adjustable platform tiles lend themselves to adapting to our changing transportation needs. As we progress throughout the next century, this reconfiguration allows for flexibility without waste.