Cork Bridge & Cornmarket Canopy

We were invited in August 1994 to present designs to the City of Cork in collaboration with Kelly Barry O’Brien & Ove Arup and Partners.

The Cork Historic Action Plan identifies Cornmarket, Castle Street and a new bridge crossing the River Lee as strategic links to integrate this Cornmarket and Castle Street with the main commercial sector of the city and the historic Shandon area.

Our design provides a dramatic and coherent lightweight solution which responds to the needs of the market traders and offers weather protection without significantly reducing daylight. We have approached the design of both the bridge and the canopy to ensure low capital cost, simple maintenance and long life.

The bridge and canopy are both derived from a common geometry and economical steel skeleton, upon which toughened laminated glass panels provide protection. The galvanised tubular structure uses cast nodes allowing services integration for lighting, power and rainwater connections. It has also been designed to provide a degree of flexibility for use in other parts of the city. The structure includes a support system for market stall table tops which can be arranged at varying angle for display and tip up when not in use.