Heatherwick's "Garden Bridge" Gains Approval

Heatherwick Studio is collaborating with actor and campaigner Joanna Lumley (who developed the idea following the garden bridge she proposed as a memorial to Princess Diana in 1998), the engineers at Arup and landscape architect Dan Pearson. Together they were awarded an invited tender earlier in 2013 for the pedestrian crossing.

The bridge's budget is estimated at £175 million (USD 275 million), with two-thirds of the funds coming from private donations. This significant cost, as well as questions about the bridge's location and its purpose, have led to strong opposition in London to the bridge, which Heatherwick has likened to the High Line in New York. Like the High Line, which is run by the non-profit Friends of the High Line, the Garden Bridge is being overseen by the Garden Bridge Trust, a charity tasked with the bridge's realization, funding, and maintenance; the last is estimated as £3.5 million per year.

Regardless of the vocal opposition to the bridge (critic Rowan Moore calls it "a wasteful blight"), the councilors voted 3 to 1 in favor of the Garden Bridge. Mayor Boris Johnson will have the final decision, which shouldn't be a problem since he has been a supporter since its inception, saying it will help London become "a more walkable and livable city." With his approval in January 2015, construction could start by the end of the year with a targeted completion of 2018.

Related: New York City to Get a New Pier (designed by Thomas Heatherwick)