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Saturday, March 30: Colman Ferry Dock

Sunday, July 31, 2016

The bridge that DNA built

Seattle Urban Sketchers had been to the Helix Pedestrian Bridge before but I never knew about it until it was our scheduled outing for this month.  So this was my first time seeing it. 

It is a marvel of a bridge!  Here is some information I found about it:   "Spanning 11 railroad tracks, this bridge connects Amgen’s office complex on the waterfront to a major arterial road. The bridge is designed after the double helix structure of DNA. (Amgen is one of the world’s largest biotech companies.)"  [I think I heard Amgen no longer occupies the building there.]

In 2004, the Amgen Helix Pedestrian Bridge received the "Outstanding Project" award under the Bridges and Transportation category given by the National Council of Structural Engineers Association.

Fabric Type: PTFE Fiberglass
Architeect: Johnson Architecture and Planning; Seattle, WA
Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers; Seattle, WA
General Contractor: Sordoni Skanska Inc.
Completion Date: 2004

It's a very complex structure to sketch.  I picked this view as I thought it was a bit challenging but not beyond what I might be able to do.  That's Susan H. sitting in front of me.


We were supposed to all begin by meeting at "Fish On" Bait and Tackle Shop/Cafe along the trail.  It was hard to find and many didn't make it.  I headed back to find a view of the pier.  These are the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ships.
Then back to the bridge for our sharing session.  There were a few new people and a couple people had to leave early so we're missing them in the group photo.








2 comments:

  1. That's a really nice write-up, Kate. I had no idea of the history of the bridge. Thank you. Nice sketches too. Never made it up to Bait On Tackle Cafe.

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  2. Sketches are so deep, informative and beautiful! Awesome. By the way, we do not know so much about the things that surround us in everyday life. And it's a little bit scary. We have to pay more attention to the details. Gonna try to find bestessays about the history of my city and its attractions, I'm sure that I'll learn a lot of new interesting information.

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