Seattle-based architecture practice LMN Architects has designed a new pedestrian bridge and the 282-foot-long (86 meter) structure is currently under construction in Everett, Washington and expected to be completed in early 2020.

Called Everett Grand Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, the bridge is designed as a unique piece of public infrastructure that will provide a vital new link between the city of Everett to its growing waterfront district.

The bridge will establish a new connection between the uplands Grand Avenue Park and Downtown Everett and the developing waterfront district, bringing pedestrians and utilities over a steep slope, a busy commercial railway and a state highway. 

LMN Architects' bridge integrates a sequence of pathways into a sloped truss, eliminating the need for the uphill elevator and saving significant costs, all while elevating the pedestrian experience through a whimsical play of space, light, and structure.

"The project is emblematic of LMN Architects approach to crafting contemporary, pragmatic and transformative infrastructure within the public realm. The bridge will establish a new connection between the uplands Grand Avenue Park and Downtown Everett and the developing waterfront district, bringing pedestrians and utilities over a steep slope, a busy commercial railway and a state highway," said LMN Architects. 

"The project will fulfill a decades-long goal for a convenient, non-motorized passage to the waterfront, which features a growing 66-acre mixed-use development, the Everett Farmer’s Market, and the largest public marina on the west coast."

"It has been thrilling to work with the City of Everett and our partners KPFF Engineers in reimagining the civic potential of this important piece of new infrastructure," said LMN Partner Stephen Van Dyck. 

"This ambitious design is a result of visionary leadership at the City and beyond that is committed to elevating the experience of the city while serving its communities and planning for its future growth."

Early plans at this location included elevators at both the downhill and uphill approaches, creating a view-blocking elevator bulkhead at the park and requiring extensive disruption to the environmentally critical hillside. 

By deconstructing the key elements of the project—functional, aesthetic, and environmental—and reimagining the components, the design team developed a solution that eliminated the need for an uphill elevator, preserving the view while greatly minimizing intervention into the steep, 75-foot-high hillside. 

The bridge features walking pathways above, around, and within weathered-steel truss, a ribbon of pedestrian ramps creates a playful pathway, acting as switchbacks to reduce the grade change and frame a series of dramatic views to Whidbey Island, the waterfront, and the Olympic Mountains. The ramps bring people through a varied sequence of spaces that interact with the structure, beginning above, then cantilevered outboard over the highway, and finally bringing them within the truss itself.

"Increasing the accessibility of our public spaces is one of the most important investments we can make in building sustainable infrastructure," said Van Dyck. 

"For this project, accessibility and safety were the primary driving forces in the design, from the integrated railing system to the iconic form of the bridge itself."

The steel bridge span, weighing nearly 1 million pounds, hybridizes old and new in ways both utilitarian and whimsical. Recalling the hard-working vernacular of a railroad overpass, the weathered steel trusses of the bridge’s frame have been strategically positioned to echo the ramp volumes and sectioned over the active railway to allow for ease of installation during construction. 

Stormwater overflow piping—the initial impetus for the project—all but disappears beneath the pathway, reinforcing the bridge’s ability to elegantly solve simultaneous challenges. Hillside stormwater and sewer lines will also be replaced as part of the project, and the potential for a future water main crossing is incorporated into the bridge design.

Image © LMN Architects

A ribbon of aluminum panels accompanies the pedestrian along the pathway, serving triple duty as safety rails, lighting reflectors, and a unique wayfinding visual element. The panels feature a waterjet-cut perforation pattern that opens views at eye level, becoming denser in proximity to pathway lighting where it serves as a reflector. 

Image © LMN Architects

The pattern is repeated on the base of the elevator tower where it is sandblasted into the concrete to further animate the structure. By embracing a creative, pragmatic approach, the solution addresses both functional and aesthetic demands, weaving urban infrastructure into the city life and becoming a catalyst for continued community revitalization.

Image © LMN Architects

Image © LMN Architects

Image © LMN Architects

Image © LMN Architects

Image © LMN Architects

LMN Architects, founded in 1979, has dedicated its practice to the health and vitality of communities of all scales.  Internationally recognized for the planning and design of environments that elevate the social experience, the firm works across a diversity of project typologies, including higher education facilities, science and technology, civic and cultural projects, conference and convention centers, urban mixed-use and transportation.

LMN Architects is recipient of the 2016 AIA National Architecture Firm Award and is widely recognized for its design of projects that support smart, sustainable, cities.

Project facts

Project Title: Everett Grand Avenue Pedestrian Bridge
Location: Everett Waterfront.
Client: City of Everett.
Design Years: 2015-2016.
Construction Years: 2017-2020.
Major Building Materials: Concrete, weathering steel and brushed aluminum.

Length: 282 FT (86 m.).
Height: 75 FT (23 m.).

Project Credits
Bridge Architect: LMN Architects
Project Team: Scott Crawford, Associate AIA, Kyle Kiser, AIA, Mark La Venture, AIA, Kathy Stallings, Stephen Van Dyck, AIA, John Woloszyn, AIA
Structural Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Civil Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Landscape Design: City of Everett
Mechanical Engineer: Tres West Engineers, Inc.
Electrical Engineer: Stantec
Lighting Concept: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design
Plumbing Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Elevator: The Greenbusch Group, Inc.
Geotechnical: HWA GeoSciences Inc.
Geotechnical: Landau Associates

All renderings and drawings courtesy of LMN Architects

All construction images © Adam Hunter/LMN Architects

> via LMN Architects