Faculty of Design

Environmental Design

Muyi Yang

THE GROUND ABOVE

Toronto’s urban problems will intensify over time. In a not far future, chaotic traffic on the ground, lack of infrastructure, and scarce land will greatly limit the development of Toronto. At that time, the potential on the ground was basically exhausted, but when we look up, there is still an open sky. Upward development may be the solution, by more skyscrapers? I think that urban infrastructure and connecting the various parts of the city, let it become more effective are more important than building more buildings. The new design will maintain the length but reduce the superficial area of ​​the structure, remove the driveways, and the top layer will only be used for pedestrians and some parks. Under this layer still will be public transportation and fully automated cargo transportation. Also, I want the structure itself to have is dynamic like blood vessel, winding through the city, building connections and carrying elements to all parts of the city like vein to the body.

“The bridge is supported by a suspension structure and column at the corners. The purpose is to minimize the impact on the ground and give the bridge surface a feeling of floating so people can experience the city from a new perspective. The elements on the surface are overall divided into three parts, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and green spaces. Different interactive scenes are arranged according to the different width, and direction of the bridge surface to increase the immersive experience. For example, directly above the intersection of the TD building and the square, there are two sunken viewing platforms where people can sit down on the steps to observe the flow of the city. There are two ways to get to the bridge surface from the ground, one is through a structure that connects the ground, this structure also connects to the rail transit station. and the other is at some building, a skywalk will contact the building to the bridge, people in the building can walk to the bridge without going to the ground and then go up. The entire system provides another layer for the city, at the same time, it increases the depth of the city, connecting various parts of the city more efficiently.”