eleena jamil designs a gateway pedestrian bridge to kuala lumpur's commercial district

the ‘sri rampai pedestrian bridge‘ designed by eleena jamil spans across a busy dual-carriageway in a thriving residential and business neighborhood of wangsa maju, to the east of kuala lumpur. it forms part of a wider redevelopment of the area that turned it into a vibrant self-contained township featuring housing, malls, shops and offices. this 110-meter-long bridge provides a safe pedestrian crossing between the main commercial areas and the LRT — light rapid train — station.

the bridge spans across a busy dual-carriageway
all images by pixelaw

malaysian based architect eleena jamil‘s bridge encourages the community to use public transport as it provides a direct link to an otherwise disconnected train station. it connects pedestrians moving across at ground level and from a multi-story car park structure. many local commuters, who work in the city center, park their cars in the surrounding areas and cross the bridge to take the LRT for the remaining of their journey.

sculptural triangulated patterns in the structure reflect the dynamic surroundings of the busy township

the design expresses the dynamic characteristics of the vibrant and bustling neighborhood through the structural system and the finishing of materials, allowing it to act as a gateway to the area. a sculptural triangulated pattern occurs homogeneously throughout the structure — from the flooring pattern on the floor deck, to the handrails and the fabric roof covering. built-in LED rope lighting on the structure illuminates the bridge at night with changing loop of colors.

the bridge spans 100 meters in an L-shaped plan

eleena jamil’s pedestrian bridge is a latticed steel structure with an L-shaped plan, elevated above the road by steel columns. the floor deck is topped with a thin layer of screed and anti-slip floor finish. the handrails and roof are held up simultaneously by a system of triangulated metal structure that sits directly on the floor deck. a lightweight teflon fabric pulled at the edges forms a dynamic wing-like roof covering across the bridge. the bridge is 4.6 meters wide to cater for the high pedestrian traffic during morning and late afternoon rush hours of people going to and returning from work. it is set at 5.4 meters high above the road level — a height that allows heavy and emergency vehicles to pass underneath.

the triangulated patterns create interesting shadows along the walkway

the bridge is almost 5 meters across to cater for rush hour during peak time

it connects the commercial areas to a train station

the lighting on the bridge changes color in looping sequence

the light tubes pick up the triangulated pattern of the structure

the bridge at night acts like a gateway to the busy commercial area

view of the bridge at dusk

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edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom