December 2009
The design team of Halcrow Group Ltd, Flint&Neill Partnership, Dissing+Weitling Architects and Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute (SMEDI), are delighted that, with the opening of Stonecutters Bridge later this month, their winning concept design has been realised.
Stonecutters Bridge is a high level cable-stayed bridge which spans the Rambler Channel in Hong Kong, connecting Nam Wan Kok, Tsing Yi Island and Stonecutters Island.
The design was chosen in September 2000 following an international design competition – and the result was unanimous. ‘An impressive and powerful’ submission was how the aesthetic committee described the team’s winning design. “This scheme will capture the imagination of the people of Hong Kong, and will stand as an icon symbolising Hong Kong’s visual identity and image for technical excellence” the judges predicted.
The bridge’s design embraces the key qualities of structural efficiency and elegance. The winning solution is bold yet simple - a cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 1018m making it the second longest cable-stayed span in the world and two 290m tall single leg towers, their height matching the surrounding peaks of Tsing Yi Island and the sky scrapers of Hong Kong.
Stuart Withycombe, director of bridge engineering for Halcrow speaking on behalf of the team said: “The completed structure is true to the original winning design. All of the team are delighted and proud to be associated with this project and the tremendous achievements of all who have worked on it to deliver what is unquestionably one of the world’s most iconic bridges.”