A bridge that can open with people on it

Scale Lane Bridge, Kingston upon Hull
McDowell+ Benedetti for HCA and Hull County Council
Contract £6.6m. GIA 275m²

It’s a first – a bridge that can open with people on it. Given the increasing number of pedestrian bridges which act as destinations in themselves, it was quite something to come up with a wholly original idea, as McDowell+ Benedetti manage in this international competition winner. This bridge rotates open across the little River Hull from a lane in the old town on the west bank to the land of new developments on the east. It is ‘a spectacle and fairground ride rolled into one, a pleasurable and memorable experience,’ say the judges. It includes a circular cafe and even has its own integrated light show and soundtrack when on the move.