The access-bridge links the lowest part of the site to the studio level. It needs to:
- house and support the access stairs – I’m thinking of making the bridge wider than the conventional 900mm to make it appear less onerous to climb, and to allow space for #2 in this list…
- house and support a hoist of some sort. Current hot favourite is a wheelchair lift – the Thyssen Tangent inclined platform lift It has a platform size of 1000×800mm, and has a lifting capacity of 250kg or so. Its pictured above. I need to get a quote, but I’d hope for a cost of NZ$12-15k. We’ll see.
- physically separate pedestrians/users from the surrounding foliage. Its not that NZ plants are nasty or anything – they are just very keen (read fecund). We do not want to spend 5 days every year clearing away / unclogging a pathway – far better to try and lift above ‘em, and use full-height plywood boards as the balustrades / support webs of the bridge.
- not be slippery when wet. A big ask this one. We’re gunning for gluing on those traffic-island industrial-yellow anti-slip strips onto each tread – should look very glow-in-the-dark!
- eventually be capable of carrying a roof/weather-protection of some sort – tricky because of the shadow access plane regulations
- be modular in construction and fabrication (take that as a given on 99% of componentry)
- carry services slung along it’s underside – waste pipes, electrical, gas, data lines
- have elements which will allow us some form of expression over time – we’re going to be using this access a zillion times, and so it makes sense to allow it to have another life of some sort – something where we can develop a sequential / time-based artwork – integrated into the treads or sumpin’.