Linking the two banks of the Brisbane River, the Goodwill Bridge is a highly successful and very necessary piece of urban infrastructure which forms a physical and social connection between the QUT campus and the Southbank Parklands. This commendation is given to the strategic plan and the subsequent urban design that gave rise to the various physical elements.
The overall strategy resolves a number of complex issues arising from the need to thread together disparate corporate, private and government interests.
The bridge is a rare public urban intervention, in that it is principally about opening up precincts for pedestrians. It does not focus on the destination, or the bridge as a monument, but rather on the journey across and beyond. The approaches and spaces formed on the QUT side are superb. Varying ground levels have been resolved via stairs, a glass lift, and elevated bridge links, and this has no doubt contributed to its heavy usage by students as well as members of the public. The resolution at this point is robust, engaging and lively.
The first pedestrian bridge to be built across the Brisbane River, the Goodwill Bridge is also one of the most controversial projects undertaken by the Queensland State Government in recent memory. Yet, the sheer numbers of pedestrians and cyclists using the bridge – around 80,000 a week – attest to its success.
Project Credits
Goodwill Bridge and Maritime Museum Refurbishment, Brisbane
Design Architect Michael Rayner. Project Team Peter Hale, Mark Burrowes, Jayson Blight, Hang Chung Ling, Spyros Barberis, Kelley Christ. Structural Consultant Ove Arup & Partners. Lighting Consultant Barry Webb & Associates. Quantity Consultant vRider Hunt and Partners. Builder John Holland Constructions. Photographers Stefan Jannides, David Sandison, Stephen Walker.
For further coverage see Architecture Australia vol 91 no 5 (September/October 2002), also at www.archmedia.com.au.
