#29 Compare the Pair

Part of a series of posts by Neil Cownie on The Future of Swanbourne Village

Compare the pair. An underwhelming, reflective, and unattractive utilitarian solution that uses far more steel in its construction than does a well-designed light weight alternative.

The utilitarian screening has been rolled out in all of the recent State Government replacement bridge program bridges along the Perth to Midland train line, in a sort of ‘one solution fits all’. We can achieve so much more with less using a little design ingenuity as can be seen in the lightweight alternative solution from the screen to the Sydney light rail network. The lightweight screening creates an open aspect for users of the bridge where they can feel secure in seeing their surroundings and feel like they are actually on a bridge rather than being corralled through a corridor of obscure screening. There are so many other benefits that the lightweight screen design brings, including no opportunity for vandals to spray paint, environmental benefits of using less steel material to construct, and does not tarnish and age.

The Swanbourne Village bridge offers a fantastic vista west through the Norfolk Island Pines towards the ocean and the setting sun. It would be such a loss for all users of the bridge to have this wonderful outlook screens of with a utilitarian screen. Demand better. Demand a ‘designed solution’ that is specific to the place that is the Swanbourne Village, not a roll out of ‘one size fits all’ solution.