Guaja National Park, Sigulda, Latvia

Bee Breeders - Architecture Competition Organisers

Michelle Lazar, Matthew Sweig, Emily McKenna and Tupac Espinoza, 2019

FFLA’s competition submission used a hide and reveal effect with the landscape surrounding the Guaja National Park entrance to create a landmark gateway bridge. The bridge acts as a curtain, signifying the experience of crossing a threshold into a new space both above for pedestrians and below for drivers and bikers. The walls of cortan steel and adjacent staggered “fins” extend the entry to the park for cars and bikes, and frame the connection between local landmarks for pedestrians. The weather worn cortan steel allows trees and understory planting to grow between the fins, fitting seamlessly into the natural surroundings as if the structures had always existed. The plazas created by the angled walls expand the footbridge to become a wider gathering space featuring signage and seating, and a destination in itself and thoroughfare.

Forest and Field’s submission was shortlisted alongside a number of other international submissions.