Alliance
Two rings over the river
The challenge
San José, Silicon Valley. To design a monument capable of embodying the region’s founding values — the union of cultures, openness to the world, and the hybridization of knowledge — within an architecture that is simultaneously simple, powerful, and enduring.
The design response
Two steel rings stretch toward the sky and gently meet above the Guadalupe River to form a bridge. An immediate and timeless design that invites visitors on a vertical walk defying balance, leading up to the confluence of the rings on platforms suspended over the water. A 200-foot-high recyclable steel structure, naturally ventilated, and covered with polymer skin photovoltaic cells. Net-zero carbon footprint.
- Category: Iconic Architecture / Urban Monument
- Location: San José, California
- Status: International competition
- Expertise: Concept, engineering and general design, preliminary design development
