University of Westminster architecture student James Gardener has designed a series of interlinked islands that join together to form an inhabitable bridge across the River Thames between Woolwich and Silvertown.
Called High Tide Street, the designs are purely conceptual and unlikely to be realised any time soon, but are certainly imaginative. Two groups of floating linked islands concertina outward from each bank, meeting in the middle of the Thames to form a bridge; they retract back in whenever ships need to pass. The designs show a public walkway on the top, with various facilities including a concert hall, library, fish market, and oyster bar located beneath.
While Gardener is clearly a talent to watch, he might need to learn how to describe his work better: the accompanying text refers to "ephemeral connections" and a "vacillating new cultural hub", and speaks of the need to "re-territorialise" the area. The Plain English Campaign will want a word.
More pictures and an explanatory video over at Dezeen
