Back in 2012, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer won the design competition run by the South Australian Government Department of Planning, Transport, and Infrastructure to design the Riverbank Precinct Pedestrian Bridge, in collaboration with engineers and urban designers, Aurecon and landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean.
The project was the first part of the implementation of the Riverbank Masterplan, a strategic approach to linking and enlivening the city’s arc of waterfront parkland, cultural and education precincts and facilities.
The 8m wide pedestrian bridge connects the upgraded Adelaide Oval to the city, spanning nearly 75m over the River Torrens through the nationally heritage-listed Adelaide Parklands.
The bridge enables pedestrians are able to easily access the Festival Centre, Adelaide Railway Station, and the improved Adelaide Convention Centre.
The project’s vision was to create not only the bridge, but also a series of new ‘people spaces’ along the waterfront, each with its own character and amenity.
To the south, expanded facilities for the Festival Centre include restaurants and offices, outdoor relaxation and event spaces, and a civic-scaled stairway that leads down to the riverfront.
This generous stepped outdoor space includes a major water cascade and significant planting.
To the north, the curve of the bridge encloses an informal amphitheatre as well as a plaza that links to the Oval’s forecourt.
The termination of the bridge is a dramatic Belvedere that hovers above the river, with a cascading wall of water that aerates and cleanses the lake.
The elegant curve of the bridge sweeps lightly through its iconic setting, complementing the adjoining structures and having minimal impact on the surrounding green spaces.
It has been designed with a sculptural lightness and simplicity, supported on dramatically-angled V columns, its faceted profile, clad in white glass, playfully reflects the water and surrounding greenery.
Project Awards
- 2016 Urban Design Commendation, AIA SA Awards: Riverbank Bridge Adelaide
- 2015 City of Adelaide Prize, SA AIA Awards 2015
- 2015 Urban Design Commendation, SA AIA Awards 2015
Project Team
Architecture and Urban Design
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer has a special interest in public spaces, public buildings and “edge” architecture, often providing buildings with roles and uses outside their traditional functions.
The crossover between art and architecture is a springing point for a design philosophy, which takes each project as a new challenge, without reliance on established precedents.
Constant reinvention of their architecture brings a surprising diversity to the completed projects, with an on-going sense of exploration and discovery.
The work is consistently and thoughtfully grounded by appropriateness and sustainability.
The TZG team for this project included Peter Tonkin, Jeremy Hughes, and Grant Sandler.
Landscape Architecture and Urban Design
Taylor Cullity Lethlean
TCL is one of the world’s most highly acclaimed landscape architecture and urban design firms.
Over the past twenty-five years, TCL has delivered a wide range of projects across a variety of public and private settings, from urban waterfronts to desert walking trails.
Working both nationally and internationally, TCL undertakes a detailed exploration of context, site and community, with a focus on the poetic expression of landscape and contemporary culture.
Project Lead, Engineering, and Urban Design
Aurecon
Aurecon is an engineering, design and advisory company that serves their clients across a range of markets and international locations.
Photography
John Gollings
John has been the photographer of choice, the go-to guy for many Australian architects.
He is renowned for his ability to almost always compose the best shot, the one defining image that makes a building memorable, etches it into the psyche.
Peter Barnes
Peter is a well-established Adelaide-based commercial photographer who specialises in architecture and interiors photography.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Tonkin Zulaikha Greer. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 John Gollings and Peter Barnes. All Rights Reserved.
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