RUMBLEFISH BRIDGE INSPIRES COMMUNITY

‘Rumblefish’ bridge will span 121 metres across the LA River. The project will link Elysian Valley ‘Frogtown’ to Taylor Yard, a 42-acre industrial parcel and former railyard site at the centre of the city’s river revitalization plans.

The bridge is playfully named in reference to the 1983 Coppola film about rival gangs as a symbolic gesture to the area’s own history of gang violence. SPF:a envisions the officially-named Taylor Yard Bikeway & Pedestrian Bridge as a peaceful community connection in Los Angeles; both a place of meeting and a space for quiet contemplation along the river.

With the design of Rumblefish, SPF:architects expresses influence from classic railway bridges and the mid-20th century Los Angeles case study houses. To be built with tube steel, wide flange steel, and steel rods, the geometric simplicity and deliberate structural lightness suggests that the vibrant orange bridge simply floats across the river.

Designed with an uncomplicated architecture, Rumblefish visually suggests a simple box truss bridge sloping east to west. While the bridge is conceived to seemingly float over the LA River, even the connecting river path seems to float within the steel structure. This effect is achieved as the walkway tilts to meet the different elevations of the river banks while the exterior structure itself remains level.

While the revitalisation project is ongoing, construction will begin in July with an expected opening date later in 2021.

Via designboom | Images courtesy of SPF:architects