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“I think the Bridge is something which really engenders a sense of civic pride ? it’s really important that you feel proud of where you live,? - Bdaily speaks to Millennium Bridge designer

It doesn’t seem too long ago now, but it has been a decade since the striking arc of the Millennium Bridge was raised over the River Tyne.

Since then the Bridge has become a true North East landmark, and annually attracts thousands of visitors who come to witness its famous “blinking eye” design.

Jim Eyre of Wilkinson Eyre Architects was given the honour of designing the Bridge, and when he recently visited the region he spoke to bdaily about his groundbreaking creation.

Our conversation takes place on the Bridge itself, and as I survey the truly magnificent structure glinting in the sunlight, it is not difficult to see why Jim is so proud of the Bridge - not only for its aesthetic value, but also what it represents for the local community.

“Over the course of the project I became increasingly aware of the significance of the bridge for both Newcastle and Gateshead,” he explains. “I think the Bridge is something which really engenders a sense of civic pride – it’s really important that you feel proud of where you live, and I think the project has helped that.”

When Jim designed the Millennium Bridge, he took inspiration from the others that link Newcastle and Gateshead, whilst also respecting the region’s strong engineering traditions.

“With bridges you need to make them special, and it needs to be a design which works here and her only, you can’t just have a universal solution,” says Jim. “We felt the design fitted in with the presence of the other bridges, and the reference to the Tyne Bridge is also key.”

Indeed, it is these small details, which gained Wilkinson Eyre recognition, both in the local community and in the world of architecture. In 1996 residents of Gateshead who saw the design as the best fit for the Quayside, chose the initial designs from a shortlist of 150.

A year after these designs were realised in 2002, Wilkinson Eyre were awarded the RIBA Stirling Prize for excellence in architecture, a fantastic accolade for Jim and his colleagues.

“The event aptly took place at the Baltic, and it was a really special evening because you don’t know you’re going to win it – we all just had our fingers crossed.”

Since then, the influence of the Bridge has gone beyond the North East, and has helped to Wilkinson Eyre’s profile as a bridge designer worldwide.

“In the time since we did the Millennium Bridge, we’ve been asked to do some really interesting projects, and I’m sure the Bridge has influenced this both in design terms and in people’s perceptions of us and what we can do.

“However, I think this is still our highest profile project to date.”

Despite living in London, Jim has links to the North East and whenever he is in the region he does try to catch a glimpse of the Millennium Bridge.

“It has now become a destination in its own right, compounded by the presence of the Baltic and the Sage as well as the attractions on the North side.

“While I wasn’t there for the whole of the project, I did feel a special affinity to the city – maybe that made me try a bit harder to come up with something special.”

And if that really is the case, Jim certainly has succeeded.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .