Three St. Patrick’s Island bridge design concepts are left standing after 35 global submissions were whittled down, according to Chris Ollenberger, Calgary Municipal Land Corp. president and CEO.
“It was a tough decision because each submission was compelling in its own way and these three designs are all respectful, elegant and functional, but also offer different attributes,” Ollenberger said.
Calgary’s very own company Halsall, partnered with RFR of Paris, France, was behind the only local submission to make it to the final three, though that didn’t have any bearing on the finalists chosen, Ollenberger added.
“Each was chosen on its own merit and design. We wanted the bridge to be simple and elegant and not overwhelming and we accomplished that.”
Calgarians were an integral part of choosing the three finalists as more than 2,000 had their say on the organization’s website, and the contenders were then chosen by a 10-person committee.
Halsall spokesperson John Ford said they were honoured to be a part of the final three.
“We wanted to compliment the environment and the natural beauty of the areas there, and I think we accomplished that,” he said of the design.
“We’re very excited and we’re going to pursue this aggressively and make sure we do our best.”
The three finalists will be given $50,000 to advance the concept to the next level by the end of January. Ollenberger said each bridge would cost in the $25-million price range and estimates a bridge could be up by 2012.
