Balancing Technical Expertise and Creativity on Pedestrian Bridges
HDR’s Michael Fitzpatrick Shares How Communities Can Approach Pedestrian Structures to Elevate Their Designs
Pedestrian bridges can transform how people move between places that were once difficult to access. But they can also be an unfamiliar or new type of project for many owners. At the same time, they often offer an opportunity for heightened creativity and community-defining landmarks.
HDR has designed more than 100 pedestrian and multiuse bridges over the past 70 years, and in the latest from HDR’s Experts Talk interview series, Michael Fitzpatrick, HDR’s bridge architecture program lead, discusses these unique structures. He shares what sets pedestrian bridges apart from other bridge projects, lays out some of the challenges that communities and bridge owners should expect to encounter, and explains how communities can put their own stamp on these structures.
Fitzpatrick has spent more than 30 years in the bridge industry, incorporating architectural sensibilities into bridge designs. He has written 10 aesthetics manuals for major bridge projects and has contributed to bridges that have won some of the most prestigious awards in the industry. His passion for creating beautiful bridges is clear, and he brings energetic creativity to every project.
As Fitzpatrick shared, “The opportunity to create something unexpected is exciting — the possibility of giving communities a feature they didn’t even know to ask for. I probably find the most joy in transforming a straightforward infrastructure project into something memorable, meaningful and widely appreciated — and pedestrian bridges offer that possibility more often than just about any other type of project.”
For more, read the whole interview with Fitzpatrick on creating memorable pedestrian bridges.
HDR’s Experts Talk interview series shines a light on various aspects of transportation infrastructure design and delivery. Each subject matter expert offers unique expertise and insights about new and ongoing trends, emerging technologies and the human side of infrastructure.
About HDR
HDR is a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, we are now a global company specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Our success in built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve our clients’ and communities’ most complex challenges.
