We often talk about the power of graphic design, and how there’s so much more that can be achieved with it than most might imagine. One designer wants to unleash that power by transforming an abandoned structure in Atlanta into an educational space for local students.

It’s called The Bridge Project, and it sprang from the mind of Jackson Watkins, a graduate student at The Portfolio Center in Northwest Atlanta.

Watkins wants to repurpose the Bellwood Avenue Viaduct built in 1912 to carry U.S. Highway 78 over a Western & Pacific Railroad line. Atlanta’s roots lie in the railroad industry. The city was founded as a terminus of the Western & Pacific Railroad. It was even briefly named Terminus, before being named Atlanta after one of the railroads’ local depots.

The Bellwood Avenue Viaduct was formally closed in 1991, and in the decades since has fallen into disrepair. It’s now commonly known as “The Bridge to Nowhere.”

Watkins plans to turn it into a workspace for an entrepreneurial education program for Atlanta-area high school students. A local technology and innovation professional would lead a team of students and walk through the process of creating a mock business or product concept.

This grabbed our attention because young entrepreneurship is the reason our agency exists. Kyle Strahl was just 24 when he founded the agency, so any program that supports and emboldens other young entrepreneurs in the making is something that we will always get behind.

And, of course, we were drawn to Watkins’ design for the new space!

The bridge is 50 feet wide and 200 feet long, so there are 10,000 square feet of space to work with. Watkins designed the structure to utilize about 7,000 square feet of that space.

Notice how the legs of the tables in the workspace have the same trellis design from the Bridge to Nowhere.

“The building’s position over the railroad is a reminder of Atlanta’s origins, while the openness of the structure acts as a reminder of the city,” Watkins told Dezeen. “Looking out of the back windows reveals old factory buildings while modern Atlanta is visible in the front.”

We love how Watkins approached the design of this project, and you can tell he put a lot of thought into what story that design would tell. That’s a vital part of the design process that our team has long embraced.

But what about that name? The Bridge Project. Is it too simple or obvious? We disagree, mostly because Watkins points out how a bridge is connected between entities to travel from one space to another.

“The importance of a connection between entities is that this can refer to people, places, things or ideas,” he wrote in his proposal. “A bridge is a way and a means by which progress can be made, and by which connections can be made.”

And of course, we connected with the fact that The Bridge Project is a symbol of all the things we love about our city.

“This project would seek to synthesize the concepts of community and opportunity, being true to the spirit of Atlanta and the Marietta Street Artery,” Watkins wrote. “Atlanta has long held as a belief that it would prosper itself if it helped its people to prosper. The Bridge Project seeks to be a direct reflection of that long-held value.”

We need people helping other people prosper now more than ever. And it’s good design like The Bridge Project that can make that happen.

We wish Watkins luck on making The Bridge Project a reality!