British firm Knight Architects and AKT II have collaborated to design and construct an award-winning footbridge at the Paddington Basin, across the Grand Union Canal in London.
The ‘Merchant Square Footbridge’, which measures at 20-meters-long and three-meters-wide, is made up of five beams that will rise at different angles, mimicking a folding fan to let canal boats pass.
“Shaped counterweights assist the hydraulic mechanism and reduce the energy required to move the structure,” explained the architects. It will also keep the footbridge steady and safe for pedestrians.
Check out the kinetic bridge below and a GIF of the moving bridge in action:
[via Dezeen, images from Knight Architects]