Toronto is getting a new bridge and the designs are stunning

The public got its first taste of Toronto's planned Keating Channel Pedestrian Bridge design competition last week when a group of five shortlisted concepts were presented, revealing some impressive possibilities for the new pedestrian link.

The link planned between the city's Quayside district and the new system of parks, public spaces, and future development lands on the artificial Villiers Island in the Port Lands area is a key element in the area's connectivity plan.

Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto, in collaboration with Host Nation and Treaty Holder, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, shared the shortlisted finalists for the bridge last Thursday, offering up some impressive visions for the city's next landmark bridge.

Here are the five finalists in the Keating Channel Pedestrian Bridge design competition:

Maamawi' Bridge

Lead Firm: Entuitive
Engineer: Schlaich Bergermann Partner
Architect: Grimshaw Architects
Architect & Indigenous Consultant: Two Row Architect
Landscape Architect: O2 Planning + Design with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Nda-Nwendaaganag

Lead Firm: EXP
Engineer: Buro Happold
Architect: INFORM Studio
Indigenous Consultant: 4 Directions
Landscape Architect: Sprucelab

The Salmon Run

Lead Firm: Henning Larsen
Engineer: Ramboll
Architect: Henning Larsen
Indigenous Consultant: Two Row Architect
Landscape Architect: Henning Larsen
 

The Harbour Eye

Lead Firm: RJC Engineers
Engineer: Anta Ingeneria Civil
Architect: Smoke Architecture Inc.
Indigenous Consultant: MinoKamik
Landscape Architect: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Equinox Bridge

Lead Firm: Zeidler Architecture Inc.
Engineer: Arup
Architect: WilkinsonEyre
Indigenous Consultant: Two Row Architect
Landscape Architect: PLANT Architect Inc.

The public is being asked to vote on the finalists based on six criteria:

Create A Beautiful And Distinctive Gateway To The Waterfront; Connect The City And Villiers Island; Incorporate A Living Landscape; Create With Indigenous Voice And Agency; Embody Sustainable Strategies And Innovation; and Create A Place For All People.