September 12 2019

Network Rail has come forward with fresh plans to build a Forth Bridge visitor centre as the hub of a new 1.6km path network connecting to Dalmeny Station and a viewing platform on the bridge structure itself.

The Forth Bridge Walk Reception Centre has been conceived by WT Architecture, Arup and The Paul Hogarth Company to capitalise on the tourism potential of the famous rail link by repurposing a disused depot.

The planned reception hub has been conceived as a ‘solid, ground-hugging structure’ topped by green roofs, establishing a robust presence at the foot of a run of stone arches leading up to the iconic bridge with visitors arriving at an entrance sculpted from concrete and Corten screens.

Describing this approach in an outline design statement the architects wrote: “The building is overtly contemporary while echoing the defensive organic structures on escarpments, islands and hilltops around the Firth of Forth as well as those of the gun emplacements immediately adjacent.
 
“The new building reinforces the defensive edge of this escarpment using a rising rampart-like parapet as the access to the bridge itself. A more vertical two-storey inner core also communicates the purpose of the building of getting people up to and down from the bridge. To the east the building’s walls are more open and welcoming, allowing visitors and light to flow in and out.”
 
A network of steel gantries will provide direct access to the bridge structure itself with those undertaking the vertiginous climb rewarded by two distinct viewing platforms at the top of the south cantilever.

7 Comments

#1 Posted by CADMonkey on 12 Sep 2019 at 11:16 AM

Hmm.. you can tell the designers really enjoyed working on this.

#2 Posted by Nairn's Bairn on 12 Sep 2019 at 11:45 AM

The images are pretty good, but the superimposed people are odd.

Image 1 has Run-DMC on the platform, a lost West Highland Way camper, and a peeping-tom in the bottom right bushes. Image 2 has some excellent ‘floaters’ and inconsistent perspective on the coffee cart, while Image 3 is strangely devoid of skateboarding neds and Buckfast connoisseurs.

Still it’s a long way from when we used to do this on the drawing board, when for some reason every image that left our office featured a Victorian balloon-seller.

Good to see the ubiquitous seagulls are present though.

#3 Posted by Richard Hannay on 12 Sep 2019 at 12:30 PM

What an excellent destination and a fascinating narrative to be told.

Pity the drawings don't really convey the Architects aspirations, but the examples of materials the etc. in the D&A do illustrate the overall feel. And so I have faith.

Just get it built - as they say.

#4 Posted by FLW on 12 Sep 2019 at 13:37 PM

Nice work as ever from WT. Would be great to see some of their work built on their own doorstep.

You can tell it's a quiet day in the office when the trolls have nothing better to do than citicise the quality of renders. Do they realise most projects have a limited budgt that they'd rather spend on design / delivery than keeping CGI monkeys in business?

#5 Posted by Nairn's Bairn on 12 Sep 2019 at 13:58 PM

#4 To be fair, I think the images look good – it takes time and skill to put these together and I don't think the professional behind them deserves the 'monkey' description. Nor do they appear that they were done ‘on the cheap’ as implied.
However the figures that get dropped onto renders can sometimes spoil such good work, for the sake of a few more minutes spent sizing & positioning.

#6 Posted by Hectic Brocklebank on 12 Sep 2019 at 23:27 PM

#5 to be fair they've had long enough to get these images together. Every few years Network rail trots this old chestnut out to remind us that they do give a flying fig about Scotland. But in reality it's no closer to being built than an escalator to the moon....

#7 Posted by lm on 13 Sep 2019 at 12:56 PM

I like the design and the images. This is all interesting. @flw what does a CGI monkey mean? Because of comments or words that we use in architecture our profession became like a Funny Joke to others.... flw you are the Real Monkey.

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