91ÊÓƵ

Though it didn’t come in time for our print edition, architect William C. Tripp did take some time today to answer a few questions on his ideas for the Columbia River Crossing. Earlier, we ran a Q&A with 3 others about the CRC.

Tripp is a member of the PDXplore design collective, which this week put on an exhibition at the Pacific Northwest College of Art titled Crossing the Columbia: What Does it Mean?

91ÊÓƵ: How can a bridge project reconnect a population with its river?

William C. Tripp: A bridge can physically connect people to the river by providing access to the water, for boating, fishing, swimming, etc. and by providing places along the river’s edge for parks, housing, restaurants, cafes – all the ways that urban life meets a river.  The other way to connect to the river is visually and symbolically, in the experience of crossing the bridge.  By shaping the bridge and controlling the views we can create a more meaningful experience, one that reminds us that this river drains the second largest watershed in the United States.

91ÊÓƵ: What should be done in the design of CRC to reinforce that connection?

WCT:The CRC must be designed with access to the river as an essential component, not as an afterthought.  And the CRC must have as one of its design goals the creation of a significant crossing experience.

91ÊÓƵ: Which aspects of the river’s banks, inhabitants, bridges and dams spoke to you the most during your project?

WCT: The most profound thing about the Columbia Rive is its size and geologic power and the fact that it connects us to a vast distant watershed.  When you drive up through the Columbia Gorge and into eastern Oregon and see the river there, see how different the landscape is, and realize that this same river flows by downtown Vancouver – if we could make that apparent to everyone who uses the bridge, wouldn’t that be a powerful and meaningful experience?

91ÊÓƵ: If the river could speak, what would it say about the current design for the CRC?

WCT: The current design ignores the river, except to treat it as an obstacle to cross.