Lens Bridge and Urban Deck are the central artery to the City Foundry redevelopment project of mixed-use food court and shopping complex linking to the St. Louis Armory for entertainment district. These urban renewal projects are the network nodes to the Brickline Greenway pedestrian project, transforming St. Louis into a walkable and bikeable city. The Lens Bridge spans between the elevated interstate highways, cladded with Dichromatic and Fresnel lenses for splitting color and light collimations. The lenses generate optical perceptions of magnification by heightening the visual phenomena in the site. The Urban Deck is part of the landscape and is conceived as an extension of the ground surface, transforming the topographic landscape into a recreational complex. Lens Bridge and Urban Deck is an infrastructural project influenced by engineering, architecture, landscape and environmental science merging into a dialogue to engaging public spaces and events. This project is generated as a new destination within a fragmented urban condition that brings larger inquire of civic discourse.

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The Lens Bridge is an urban gateway visible from I-64 to motorists driving east to west bound. An engineered filter gutter system directs polluted runoff from the highway. The rainwater flows into retention ponds surrounded by remediating gardens with regional plantings. The pedestrian bridge twists between the highways for vertical semi-truck clearance heading eastbound and expands to allow LED screens for westbound motorists viewing angles. At the City Foundry district, the bridge transforms into stage for an amphitheater and a canopy for a grove as a shading device that generates microclimatic conditions. The amphitheater seating area is designed for dual function as a farmers’ market and performance space.

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The Urban Deck is a community recreation center with a pool, basketball and racquetball courts interwoven with running tracks and public amenities (bathrooms, shower, playgrounds, gardens and food stalls). At evening the upper deck becomes a dance hall and an outdoor cinema creating an exciting nightlife promoting density for new development projects along the pedestrian paths.