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Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Jason O Rear, Iwan Baan
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Architect of Record: Anderson Mason Dale Architects
Designed by the same team as the adjacent U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum complex, the Park Union Bridge takes its inspiration from the gravity-defying motion of athletes, with a 250-foot curved steel structure that floats above an active railyard.
Two interlocked loops, stretching from either side of the railyard, connect the museum and America the Beautiful Park. The bridge is an exercise in fitness - both in terms of material and geometry. The hybrid steel structure system functions as an arch and a truss, elegantly preserving views from downtown to the majestic mountain ranges of Pikes Peak.
The bridge stitches together a growing network of pedestrian bicycle paths including the Pikes Peak Greenway and Midland Trail running alongside Monument Creek, with a generous width that safely accommodates pedestrians and cyclists alike. At its widest point, an oculus at either side of the bridge frames the museum and downtown to the east, a platform for trainspotting below, and a distinct lookout to the Rocky Mountains to the west.
In the evenings, lighting along the bridge traces a single vector from one side of the tracks to the other, giving a sense of speed and motion while providing illumination for pedestrians and cyclists.
