Patel Taylor

A pair of apparently simple glass rooms span either end of Bellmouth Passage to create a seamless public realm at Canary Wharf. The clarity of the concept belies their technical complexity. 

The solution was to design them as swing bridges which turn from a single pivot – and a lot of very inventive detailing. The result achieves two seemingly contradictory goals: an uninterrupted flow of space on the inside, and a navigable passage. Subtly and subliminally, the bridges mark that ambiguity by their status as thresholds over the water.