VicRoads William Buckley Pedestrian Bridge

  • client VicRoads

    status Complete 2011

    location Barwon River, Barwon Heads, Victoria

    traditional land owners Wadawurrung people

    photography Sean McPhillips

  • Barwon Heads is a picturesque coastal town located at the mouth of the Barwon River on the Bellarine Peninsula. Its much loved Barwon Heads Bridge has been reconstructed with a replacement timber bridge along with a new contemporary pedestrian and cycling bridge known as the William Buckley Bridge. The new William Buckley Bridge is clearly differentiated from the road bridge as a contemporary structure. The design intent was to construct a pair of parallel causeway bridges as companion structures, parallel for their full length with the same underside clearance for boating. The bridge expresses the beautiful tactile and aesthetic qualities of timber in an extraordinary coastal setting. The bridge’s primary structure is concrete which is fully clad in timber with a boat hull-like cross section. The underside of the bridge has a complex warping geometry where the timber battens rake and interlock to create visual interest and shadowing detail. In addition, a new entry plaza has been created to integrate the bridges with the Barwon Heads township and the Barwon River foreshore.

  • 2012 Australian Institute of Architects [National] Urban Design Award [commendation]

    2012 Intergrain Timber Vision Awards Landscape Award

    2012 Australian Institute of Architects Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design

    2012 Victorian Coastal Awards Coastal Building & Design Award

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