Smith Creek Pedestrian Bridge

Photographs  Jeff Goldberg/Esto


The project, situated in the Virginia rail town of Clifton Forge, is the 2nd phase of the redevelopment of a post-industrial brownfield into a public park and performance space which aspires to inject a distinct sense of identity and place at the heart of the community.

The bridge is a bent path, which ramps and steps, inviting people to wander as well as providing a direct link, over the creek, between the new ampitheatre and the historic downtown. It is supported at mid-span by a forest of leaning columns, which create a sheltered repose along the creek. Transparency was an integral part of the overall concept; the bridge deck and rail assembly maintain a thin profile, giving the bridge a subtle presence on the site. The entire length of the bridge is ramped to accommodate the site's significant elevation changes. The park is divided into multiple landscaped areas, including a line of tall grasses along the creek, a labyrinthine butterfly garden adjacent to the amphitheatre, a beach along the creek, and a series of grass lawns at the center.

STUDENT TEAM Bethel Abate, Aiysha Alsane, Justin Dennis, Jennifer Leeds, Stephanie Mahoney, Stephen Perry, Amanda Schlichting, Claudia Siles, Samuel “Aaron” Williams, Ryan Hawkins, Catherine Ives, Anna Knowles-Bagwell, Michael Kretz, Fernanda Rosales, Katherine Schaffernoth, Daniel Vantresca, Bryana Warner