Te Wero Bridge

Te Wero Bridge winning design | How the winner was chosen | The judging panel

Te Wero Bridge winning design

View of fully open bridge from inner Viaduct Harbour

A dramatic and distinctive bridge design has been chosen as the winner of the Te Wero Bridge competition.

The winning team is from Hyder Consulting, Denton Corker Marshall and Kenneth Grubb and Associates.

This design is estimated to cost in the region of $51.2m to build.

A waterfront attraction

The council's competition challenged people around the world to design an outstanding opening bridge on Auckland's waterfront.

The judging panel agreed that this submission stood out from the others in respect of its high level of design innovation and the unique way the twin leaves opened.

The panel also noted that the profile of the opening leaves reflected yacht hulls and the mast created a landmark which could be illuminated for special events.

Play video of the bridge opening

View winning team's submission (1677k PDF)

Key design features

responds to its harbour context and distant views with large-scale distinctive cultural form and elegant profile
vertical tower rises above yacht masts and creates a permanent gateway feature to mark crossing point regardless of whether the bridge is open or closed
deck splits in two as it rises, with the leaves sweeping apart to come to rest in a V configuration
the longer, broader south leaf carries the two passenger transport lanes while the north leaf is exclusively for pedestrians and cycles
the three primary elements of differing length and width form an asymmetric composition. When viewed from different angles, they create infinite combinations of juxtapositions as the bridge leaves move towards the mast.

Construction features

lightweight deck and counterweight arrangement result in very low energy use
deck can be fabricated using local boat building expertise
material selection gives excellent durability and low maintenance regime.

The illuminated mast

A swing bridge, designed by a team from Wilkinson Eyre (UK) and Beca (Auckland), was highly commended by the judging panels for its elegant design.

View runner-up design (1748k PDF)

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Updated August 2008