Bridge Category Winner:
Kirstenbosch Canopy Walkway (“The Boomslang”)
In praising this outstanding structure the judges said that it was a true team effort.
“The end result is an efficient, flowing structure that provides the visitor with a truly
memorable experience,” they said.
The brief could be summarised in a few words: to design a pedestrian bridge
between the tree tops of the Arboretum at Kirstenbosch. But the project was indeed a
challenging one and is the ‘story’ of how well the whole project team worked together
to realise the brief.
The walkway was designed to be ‘organic’ and blend unobtrusively into the forest,
while minimising damage to the trees. To achieve this, a delicate structure, carefully
located between the trees, and finished in a colour that would blend in was required.
“Steel was clearly the material of choice, to satisfy these criteria,” the project team said.
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To minimise disruption and damage to the vegetation, a comprehensive survey of the
area was undertaken. Columns were located relative to trees, and were not necessarily
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