It's impressive that you had the opportunity to visit their office; they truly produce remarkable work. Did you come across a model of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge? Four of us developed a very similar concept for a structural course in 1996 as seen in the images below. Inspired by and intended for the base of Yonge Street, our design featured a bridge that arched out beyond the dock wall, offering an enhanced view of the Toronto harbor. It was part of a fifth-year structural course within an architecture program. Although our version didn't feature an opening mechanism, our initial concept included arches that lifted for navigational clearance but time constraints prevented us from developing a functional design - the 1:50 static model below was sufficiently complex to construct. Interestingly, our proposal was finished just a few months before the announcement of the Gateshead competition winner. Of course, W.E. has gone on to design many notable bridges, such as the one at the Toronto Eaton Centre. Kudos to their ongoing excellence.
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