santiago calatrava's peace bridge delayed

santiago calatrava’s peace bridge delayed

nestled between the banks of the bow, just west of prince’s island park, calgary is the peace bridge being built to accommodate the increasing number of people commuting to and from work and those who simply want to enjoy the city’s spaces and pathways. last week, the city of calgary has issued a press release stating that the 24.5 CAD million bridge by spanish architect santiago calatrava will not be completed until late january 2011. originally, city officials have said that the bridge, mainly designed for pedestrians and cyclists, would be open to the public by the month of october.

‘the contractor (now) fully realizes the complexity of assembling that structure will put a huge demand on their time and effort,‘ jadwiga kroman, the city’s project manager for the bridge, said of the delay.

overview: the peace bridge will be built with a glass shell to accommodate all seasons

santiago calatrava’s architecture has proven notorious for coming in late and over budget, but kroman saidthat  based on current projections, calgary’s peace bridge remains on budget. the bridge’s tubular form is a successful design solution as it could not have piers in the riverbed or vertical elements. ‘seemingly simplistic at first glance, the peace bridge is a highly technical bridge,’ calatrava stated. construction began on the bridge site in march and continues as parts of the bridge are being shipped in from spain. read more.

sections of the peace bridge delivered from spain photo by corbin-hillman communications

photo by corbin-hillman communications

photo by corbin-hillman communications