2012: Transforming the Bridge | 12279

Team: John Waugh, David Domke, Jeff Nedelka, Michael Wei,

Location: Syracuse, New York

Overview: RE|ACTIVE ICON

The Detroit-Superior Bridge has been an icon for the city of Cleveland since its completion in 1918. Almost 100 years after its completion, the bridge’s neo-classical detailing stands as a testament to Cleveland’s prosperous industrial past. As the city transitions towards a more sustainable future it is time for the Detroit-Superior Bridge to re-iconify itself and take on a new skin; one that reacts and responds to the ever changing pace of the city. This skin is comprised of a rotating louver system which actively displays the city’s current pulse or activity level as a visible wave pattern by collecting and translating city event data. The louver skin system mediates the dual experiences of bridge from the iconic external reading of the activity wave to the internal occupation and perception of the wave as a dynamically lit space. Programmatically, the lower level of the bridge is open to an evolving future of use with a few core anchor programs such as visitor centers and Bike Rack outlets at each entrance. This strategy allows smaller programmatic elements to be inserted or removed based on user feedback and demand over time.