Archinect - News

World's longest elevated pedestrian loop at the Minnesota Zoo officially opens

2023-07-31T16:05:00-04:00

The Minnesota Zoo Treetop Trail, the world’s longest elevated pedestrian loop, is officially open to the public. The project, which saw 1.25 miles of a former monorail structure repurposed into a walkway, will take guests 32 feet above the ground and provide new views of and experiences with the zoo’s diverse wildlife, hardwood forest, and wetlands.

The scheme’s design was led by Minneapolis-based Snow Kreilich Architects, alongside engineering firm Buro Happold (known for its work on the High Line in New York City) and landscape architecture and urban design practice TEN x TEN. The construction leader was PCL. Together, the team was committed to minimizing disruptions to the zoo’s animals and guests before, during, and after construction.

“The Treetop Trail marks a new chapter for the Minnesota Zoo,” said John Frawley, the institution's director and foundation president. “As we look ahead to the Zoo’s next 45 years, the Treetop Trail is a major step in furthering connections to nat...

London's Camden Highline project gets official planning approval

2023-01-20T11:46:00-05:00

London is getting an attractive new elevated parkway feature after planning approvals were granted for the proposed Camden Highline, the BBC reported on Friday.

Running from Camden Gardens to Royal College Street near the King’s Cross transit hub, the parkway will transform a disused Victorian rail viaduct while adding green space to some of the capital’s traditionally underserved districts. It will also bring projected economic benefits totaling £10.9m ($13.46 million) over the project’s lifetime, and help stitch together the snaking chessboard of different neighborhoods that lie along its 1.2 kilometer (0.75-miles) path.

Piet Oudolf will lead the design, which apparently entails a series of “ecosystems and experiences” made up of three sections culminating in a fully-accessible entry point at York Street to the north. Each section will include a program of features such as a children’s playground, nesting sites, and an outdoor classroom. Construction costs for the first section o...

Monorail track converted into elevated treetop trail by Minnesota Zoo and Snow Kreilich Architects

2022-05-04T09:00:00-04:00

The Minnesota Zoo is to begin construction on its Treetop Trail, which will see 1.25 miles of former monorail track repurposed as a pedestrian walkway. Scheduled for completion in summer 2023, the trail will see guests explore hundreds of acres of hardwood forest, wildlife, and wetlands from 32 feet in the air.

Rendering via Minnesota Zoo

The scheme was designed by Minneapolis-based Snow Kreilich Architects, who began feasibility work on the project in 2016, including appraisals of the monorail track’s structural capacity. The architects gave particular attention to five so-called “touch-down” points from which visitors would access the trail.

“These points should hint at what will be explored on the trail and invite visitors to explore nature,” said the architects as well as serving as amenity stations with clear paths to dining, programs, and exhibits.

Rendering via Minnesota Zoo

The design of the scheme was inspired by the New York City High Line, which saw a comparable 1.45-mile...

Dramatic cantilevered bridge complete with elevated park wins AISC's 2020 Forge Prize

2020-05-26T14:42:00-04:00

Rosannah Harding and Matthew Ostrow of HardingOstrow have won a first prize of $10,000 for the American Institute of Steel Construction's (AISC) 2020 Forge Prize. Their winning concept is a cantilevered pedestrian bridge and elevated park intended for a site in Manhattan that connects to the existing High Line.

Weathered steel creates a grid frame that holds the span of the elevated park. From beneath the cantilever, one can see impressions of shining concrete that each act as planters to hold trees and other vegetation in the park above.

Harding and Ostrow worked with fabricator STS Steel, Inc. to refine their design and to streamline the imagined construction process of the structural frame.

The judges who participated in the competition this year are Matt Dumich, FAIA, of SmithGroup; Rebekah Gandy, AIA, LEED AP, of Gensler; David Sadinsky of Turner Exhibits; Cast Connex Vice President Jennifer Anna Pazdon, PE; SteelFab, Inc. Texas Division Vice President Darren J. Cook; and STS S...

Locals welcome The 606, a.k.a. Chicago's "High Line", but anxiety for its future remains

2015-06-10T10:15:00-04:00

Chicago's highly anticipated elevated trail and park system known as The 606, otherwise referred to as the Bloomingdale Trail or the "Chicago High Line", finally celebrated its grand opening this past Saturday on the appropriate date of June 6 (6/06). The centerpiece of the $95 million project — which had its first phase designed by ARUP, Carol Ross Barney, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Burns & McDonnell, and the Chicago Public Art Group — is a 2.7 mile elevated trail that replaces the defunct Bloomingdale rail line. The trail will connect the Wicker Park, Bucktown, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square neighborhoods and six parks. And unlike similar linear-park projects, The 606 is open to pedestrians and cyclists to use as a new "transit corridor".

Prior to The 606, those communities were historically divided by the Bloomingdale railway and were in need of open green space. The newly opened trail is still looking fairly sparse at the moment, but later phases of the project include ...

QueensWay Elevated Park Receives Over $440K in Funding for First Phase

2014-12-15T11:28:00-05:00

The WXY Studio Architecture + Urban Design and dlandstudio design of an elevated park in Queens, New York has just gotten a $440,000 cash infusion from New York State. The money will go towards the design of the first phase of the project, estimated to cost $120M to build. The park, when complete, would transform 3.5 miles of abandoned elevated railway into a park akin to the High Line Park in Manhattan.

OMA and OLIN Studio to design new 11th Street Bridge Park in D.C.

2014-10-16T12:37:00-04:00

OMA and OLIN Studio have been selected to design the new 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington D.C. The competition was held as part of the 11th Street Bridge Park project initiative, which will transform an old freeway bridge into D.C.'s first elevated park. From the six shortlisted teams in phase one of the nationwide competition, and down to four finalists, OMA + OLIN won with their proposal, "Anacostia Crossing."

Dig into the details over at Bustler.

11th Street Bridge Park competition in Washington D.C. shortlists six teams for phase one

2014-05-06T20:24:00-04:00

Six teams of architects and landscape architects are still in the running for the 11th Street Bridge Park competition in Washington D.C. The nationwide competition is hunting for the best design to transform an old freeway bridge into D.C.'s first elevated park: the 11th Street Bridge Park.

Out of more than 40 teams and 80 firms that responded to an open call for submissions this past March, the jury selected the phase-one finalists -- who have all formed into the following interdisciplinary teams below:

Balmori Associates / Cooper, Robertson & Partners
Piet Oudolf with Glenn LaRue Smith/PUSH Studio / WXY architecture + urban design
OLIN / OMA
Stoss Landscape Urbanism / Höweler + Yoon Architecture
Wallace Roberts & Todd (WRT) / NEXT Architects
Workshop: Ken Smith Landscape / Davis Brody Bond

More info about the competition can be found on Bustler.