3 Floating Bridge London, England: Quick, Cheap, and Spare, This Pontoon Structure in the Docklands by Future Systems Is Part of a Boom in London Bridge Building.

Photograph

Photograph: Two Photographs and One Drawing: Fluorescent lighting in the stainless-steel handrails illuminates the bridge at night (left). To heighten the sense of lightness, the bridge gets narrower at its center (bottom left). This central section can be raised for water traffic (drawing below).

PHOTOGRAPHY: Copyright RICHARD DAVIES

London's Docklands stretch for miles along the South Thames, encompassing office towers, apartment blocks, and 19th-century warehouses.

In this vast agglomeration, a new footbridge links Canary Wharf, the commercial hub of the Dock-lands, to the smaller 19th-century West India Quay. Designed by Jan Kaplicky of Future Systems, the bridge is a slender 280-ft arc of painted steel and extruded aluminum resting on four pairs of pontoons filled with polystyrene. The pontoons respond to the movement of the water, giving the bridge a pleasant springiness and the appearance of a graceful water spider. The center section can be raised hydraulically to allow barges and restaurant boats to pass through, though water traffic here is not heavy.

The bridge provides access to shops, restaurants, and gardens, while reinforcing the impression...