If you, like me, haven't been to Canada Water in a while, you might be missing a trick. This once-sleepier corner of south-east London has been undergoing a transformation – and its first step, a new pedestrian bridge by Asif Khan, has just been unveiled, an 'hors d'oeuvre' of sorts, as the team behind it light-heartedly described it, to the intention and grand plans already underway in the wider district.
If Khan's enticing, deep red, undulating bridge design is anything to go by, there is a step change coming for the neighbourhood, which is in the process of injecting nature and mixed-use architecture into its fabric, with the aim of crafting a lively, revived town centre.
Cross the Canada Water bridge by Asif Khan with us
Spreading from the entrance to Canada Water Tube station over the water ahead and winding its way to the opposite bank with one branch offering an alternate route to the side, the bridge is certainly not the quickest way to cross the basin – but it's by far the most pleasurable.
Located to one side of the body of water rather than straight down its middle, in order to help create a natural habitat for the area's wildlife – including a variety of birds – the structure hugs the Canada Dock's curves and elegantly snakes through reeds and other waterside planting. Alongside the rippling waters and avian visitors, the long grass slowly moving in the breeze offers a distinctly natural, calming, yet dynamic experience.
This gently winding route, as well as the bridge's soft (imperceptible, from a distance) undulation, was a big part of the concept, Khan explains: 'I wanted to create a different experience of duration so that you cannot see everything at once and the bridge unfolds slowly as you cross it.'
The red colour references the red pine that found its way here from Canada during Victorian times, when timber from the colonies arrived through the local London docks to be sorted and loaded for distribution by specially skilled workers – the deal porters. The wood used for the bridge, however, is cumaru, a hardwood hailing from Brazil. Constructors Xylotek and the wider team ensured it's FSC certified and dyed with an ecological stain to support a sustainable architecture approach (and the landscape was tackled by Townshend).
Meanwhile, going beyond being 'just' an urban centrepiece and a piece of infrastructure, as the structure is wide enough, it could also host events or impromptu happenings in the future.
Canada Water: history and content
The wider Canada Water Development is a live piece of urban regeneration and infrastructure, currently transforming some 53 acres of a rather well-connected piece of south-east London. Spanning from the green expanses of Southwark Park to the sports facilities at Surrey Docks, it includes housing, the Canada Water Library, the multifunctional event and performance venue Printworks, as well as retail and restaurant choices.
Roger Madelin, joint head of Canada Water Development at British Land and previously CEO at Argent (who masterminded the acclaimed King's Cross area's reimagining), started working on the scheme about nine years ago: 'We wanted to turn it into a real town centre. [When I first visited it] I was completely blown away by the area's potential, but it wasn't a centre.'
The area's new urban plan has a reconnection with nature and its users' wellbeing at its heart, Madelin continues: 'We thought, what can we do to the dock to make it a place where people can connect with nature? So we envisioned a boardwalk on it and recreated the wildlife habitat next to it. We want people to come here because of the public realm.'
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