Nine Elms to Pimlico Bridge Winner Announced

Working with Robin Snell & Partners, Sven Ole Hansen ApS, Aarsleff and ÅF Lighting on the design, Bystrup's über-minimal bridge is made up of a thin deck and swirling ramps suspended from two tapered shafts with gilded tops. The simple design is meant to minimize the footprint of the bridge on the north and south sides of the Thames, in part to address opponents of the project.

As mentioned when we covered the announcement of the shortlist in March 2015, the planned bridge would connect the historic Pimlico district in Westminster on the north with the primarily industrial, yet developing Nine Elms area to the south. Even with £26million and the support of the Mayor of London, the bridge has strong opposition from residents of Pimlico, who see the bridge as a means of benefiting developers in Nine Elms, which is undergoing a massive redevelopment.

Even with a good deal of vocal opposition (though not as much as that against Thomas Heatherwick's Garden Bridge), the handsome winning scheme will most likely move forward, requiring the necessary planning approvals and consent from Wandsworth and Westminster Councils, as well as the Mayor of London.