13 Aug Project Spotlight: Colorado Building Workshop Weathering Steel Pedestrian Bridge
A cohort of students of the University of Colorado’s College of Architecture and Planning recently selected weathering steel in their design of a pedestrian bridge for the Town of Severance on the eastern plains of Colorado.
The College of Architecture and Planning, also known as Colorado Building Workshop, is a design build certificate program that serves the broader community by partnering with non-profit organizations on a variety of innovative projects. The certificate centers on the practical application of architectural theory and promotes a blend of hand-on skills, creative design, and cutting-edge materials to construct buildings for communities in need.
According to their professor, Rick Sommerfeld, the students’ selection of weathering steel was multifaceted. Their first consideration was durability, but a close second was the steel’s beauty.
“The weathering steel blends in with the rural landscape and surrounding area,” Sommerfeld said. “Plus,the material allowed us to achieve a very thin and seemingly light structure. Building something heavy in the plains of eastern Colorado would have been an eye sore. We felt that weathering steel, and the forms it allowed us to achieve, were the appropriate nod to the historical roots of railroad bridges while still allowing for a more contemporary look.”
Check out photos of their completed 2021 Design Build Project below.
“The design considers the cultural significance of the pains and their relationship to the mountains. The subtle shift across the irrigation channel aligns the user to a view of Longs Peak in the distance. The walkway rises by two feet as you walk west, but the truss remains true to the horizon. The nuanced compression against the datum of the weathering steel truss is meant to accentuate the beauty of shifts present in the landscape. Moments of pause were developed in proximity to activities within the park. The west end creates social space for partens, kids and coaches to help support the sports fields. Along the bridge, a gentle undulation in the railing and the omission of cross bracing allows for engagement with the water. On the east side, the decking “peels” up from underfoot to form lounge chairs and hang-out space for kids waiting for their parents to pick them up.” -Colorado Building Workshop
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The practical and aesthetic benefits of using weathering steel Hollow Structural Sections make it an ideal material choice for structural applications in buildings and other structures such as bridges, architecturally exposed buildings, fencing, railings and more.
Central Steel Service stocks high-strength, corrosion-resistant weathering steel Hollow Structural Sections, including pipe and tube, in a variety of sizes. Contact one of our experienced sales associates to learn more about our ASTM A847 availability and the advantages of Hollow Structural Sections!