Hull’s new Scale Lane Bridge by McDowell+Benedetti swings into life
![River Hull footbridge](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GdiWrKFSkRjpHR498ygKdf-415-80.jpeg)
Santiago Calatrava doesn't have the monopoly on elaborate bridges. Here in the UK, the birthplace of industrial engineering, there's been recent resurgence in quirky solutions that translate the act of crossing water into an elaborate performance. Thomas Heatherwick's compact Rolling Bridge in the Paddington Basin, the incredible Falkirk Wheel boat lift in Scotland and Wilkinson Eyre's 'winking' Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, from 2002, all showed new ways of adding function to an ancient archetype.
Now there's another to add to the roster. The Scale Lane Bridge is a structure that swings, literally, pivoting about a riverside axis to let small watercraft pass along the River Hull. Designed by architects McDowell+Benedetti in association with structural engineers Alan Baxter & Associates, the new bridge is set amidst a formerly abandoned industrial site in Hull town centre. A slinky piece of regeneration bait, the Scale Lane Bridge is the last piece in a pedestrian jigsaw that'll link up the city's museums and keep feeding a constant stream of people into the new sites.
The bridge is shaped like a bulky comma, with twin routes along its 35m cantilever - a ramp and steps - as well as a circular viewing deck, turning the entire structure into a destination in its own right. It also has a party piece; it can open and close with a full quota of 'riders', moving slowly enough to allow more people to board from the west bank. It takes two minutes for the electrical operation to work its magic, a short ride that the city hopes will bring about a larger transformation.
The bridge is shaped like a bulky comma, with twin routes along its 35m cantilever. It can open and close with a full quota of 'riders', moving slowly enough to allow more people to board from the west bank
The new bridge is set amidst a formerly abandoned industrial site in Hull town centre
A slinky piece of regeneration bait, the Scale Lane Bridge is the last piece in a pedestrian jigsaw that'll link up the city's museums and keep feeding a constant stream of people into the new sites
It includes a ramp and steps as well as a circular viewing deck, turning the entire structure into a destination in its own right
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Take off: Mathieu Lehanneur's Olympic Cauldron rises into the Parisian night sky
The Paris 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony was closed with a soaring cauldron spectacle that will go down in history
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays Published
-
Contemporary bridge design connecting worlds
The world’s most extraordinary bridge design, showcasing the finest blend of architecture and engineering, from Italy to the US and the UK. Cross these bridges when you come to them!
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Wilkinson Eyre's new Lille Langebro bridge serves Copenhagen's cyclists
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Imagining a new Thames pedestrian bridge in East London
By Hadani Ditmars Published
-
Bridging the gap: W* meets French engineer and architect Marc Mimram
By Clare Dowdy Last updated
-
Bird’s-eye view: Gloucestershire’s Treetop Walkway offers new perspective
By Sara Sturges Last updated
-
Ring road: Rafael Viñoly unveils a new bridge on a Uruguayan lagoon
By Mariana Rapoport Last updated
-
Forging ahead: Thomas Heatherwick updates us on the Garden Bridge
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
A pedestrian bridge by Next Architects is also a bat haven for South Holland
By Nicola Fox Hill Last updated