Dublin City Council
INWM Bridge Dublin
This pedestrian bridge crosses over the River Liffey at the Irish National War Memorial Gardens in Dublin. The design employs post-tensioned granite ashlar to cross the river in a single sweeping span.
Granite paviours and a cast metal balustrade use ancient materials in a striking way to reflect the design of Luyten’s memorial gardens while confidently acknowledging the present through technical innovation.
The balustrade is made of vertical brass alloy plates and complements the character of the stone with a softly reflective surface finish.
The design of the balustrade plays a symbolic role in the entrance procession to the gardens. Each vertical post is divided into 5 flutes giving a total of 4940. On each flute there are 10 inscribed vertical lines, giving 49,400 marks across the whole bridge. These markings are a formal palimpsest of the Irish soldiers who lost their lives during World War One, helping visitors visualise and emotionally understand the impact of armed combat.
- Name:
- INWM Bridge Dublin
- Client:
- Dublin City Council
- Date:
- October 2019
- Location:
- Dublin
- Status:
- Competition
- Sector:
- Public Realm
- Expertise:
- Public RealmHeritage
- Team:
- Alan Dempsey
- Collaborators:
- Structural Engineer—Webb Yates