|
Location:
Europe,
United Kingdom,
Newcastle
Category:
City / Bridge view
Description:
View of the Gateshead
Millenium Bridge, waterfront and
River Tyne, from the Tyne Bridge
Location Information:
The
Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a
pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge
spanning the River Tyne in England
between Gateshead's Quays arts
quarter on the south bank, and the
Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on
the north bank. The award-winning
structure was conceived and designed
by architects Wilkinson Eyre and
structural engineers Gifford. The
bridge is sometimes referred to as
the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the
'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its
shape and its tilting method. In
terms of height, the Gateshead
Millenium Bridge is slightly shorter
than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge,
and stands as the sixteenth tallest
structure in the city.
The
bridge has operated reliably since
construction, opening to allow river
traffic to pass. It also opens
periodically for sightseers and for
major events such as the
Northumbrian Water University Boat
Race and the Cutty Sark Tall Ships'
Race. One of the principal
requirements for opening the bridge
is to allow access to HMS Calliope
where Royal Navy patrol boat HMS
Example is based.
The construction of the bridge won
the architects Wilkinson Eyre the
2002 Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize and
won Gifford the 2003 IStructE
Supreme Award. In winning the
Stirling Prize, Wilkinson Eyre
became the first, and so far the
only, firm of architects to retain
British architecture's most
prestigious prize — they won the
2001 prize for the Magna Science
Adventure Centre. In 2005, the
bridge received the Outstanding
Structure Award from International
Association for Bridge and
Structural Engineering (IABSE).
Local
Weather:
|
