Footbridge 2014

th
5 International Conference
Footbridges: Past, present & future

FOOTBRIDGE IN TOWN. THE STRUCTURE SUSPENDED BETWEEN

THE SPIRIT OF PLACE AND THE SPIRIT OF TIME

Krystyna JANUSZKIEWICZ Nina SOLKIEWICZ-KOS

Dr hab. inz. arch. Dr inz. arch.
Poznan University of Technology Czestochowa University of
Poznan, POLAND Technology
krystyna_januszkiewicz@wp.pl Czestochowa, POLAND
ninasolkiewiczkos@gmail.com
Summary
The paper discusses an important issue of designing footbridge structures located in urban areas. They can give their
location individual characteristics, with a favourable psychological and social impact. Especially a pedestrian bridge may
serve as an element of new cultural values. It may give an individual character- genius loci- to an otherwise rather plain
location. In the article there are presented well-known examples from the history such as the residential bridge over the
River Thames in London and the Ponte Vecchio on the Arno River in Florence. They are set against modern footbridges
such as the New Millennium Plaza in Graz, EXPO'08-Bridge Pavilion in Zaragoza and designs of multifunctional bridges
for pedestrians. They indicate the direction of future development of this kind of engineering objects in a city. New tools
for designing together with digital technology have transferred the work of bridge designing to a higher level of space
and material arrangement. The paper describes processes through which ecology, culture, technology and building are
united to create an area of complex relations. Thus new effects of strong impact are brought to life, which results in a
change of perception of the interrelations between Man and Nature and Culture.

Keywords: place; genius loci; digital technology; spatial modeling; aesthetics;

1. Introduction
Digital technologies offer today a wide range of research and calculation possibilities. Hence designers attention may
focus on the integration of diverse urban functions by bridge constructions. Residential bridges or commercial bridges
were already known in the Middle Ages. Their role in the body of a city was always important and reflected the wealth
and prosperity of its inhabitants. Today this idea is on its way back. As a result of that the creativity of architects,
especially those designing bridges, can focus on a stronger integration between a bridge (as a way of crossing over an
obstacle) and other functions of a city. Generally buildings which are designed digitally focus on implementing a widely
understood environmental imperative. The structural, material, economic and environmental parameters that have not
been in the foreground before are turning into a significant medium of semantic content.

2. Bridge and the problem of formation of place

A bridge is a site of many events, feelings and experiences. A bridge construction by being a part of a built environment
is predisposed to contribute to what in architecture and urbanism is defined as place. This seemingly elusive genius loci
has become a cause of many scientific investigations and has found not only its urban and architectural connotations but
also psychological and sociological ones. The problems of the impact of the built environment on human behavior is very
useful, especially when one has to deal with a mass user and when one should intervene in the urban fabric. Bridge
crossing is many a time inevitable and has been an integral part of the urban fabric for centuries.
The word place, though taken from everyday language, has become a bridge between disciplines such as philosophy,
geography, urban planning, architecture, psychology and sociology. Christian Norberg-Schulz believes that places are
targets or foci at which we are experiencing significant events during our lives. Moreover they are also starting points to
find our whereabouts and from which we master the surroundings. Place is therefore experienced as an interior [1]. The
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History of urban construction can supply many patterns of place creation, however the patterns will always require
updating and placing in the conceptual sphere of their users.
Compared to the space place as a separate part of it is an area with its own structure and the first step towards the
analysis of place is to find it. The analysis must determine the spatial structure of place and describe its character. Its
character is directly related to the "things" or physical attributes that make up place and depends on the determinants of
the space in which we find ourselves. When will the space enclosed by a bridge structure become place?

Fig. 1a-b Ponte di Rialto, Venice,1591 and bridge Hadzu. Isfahan, 1650

During the Roman times bridges were often places of small trade and during the Middle Ages they were an important
element in defence systems of cities. On the River Thames in London there were constructed residential bridges and in
todays Florence you can admire the Ponte Vecchio. During the Renaissance, a bridge was a prominent place in a city,
To use it in other ways than a bridge required a consent of the city authorities. In Venice, only in the sixteenth century,
the city authorities allowed trading on the Ponte di Rialto. Its design took into account stands for selling gold and glass
(Fig.1a) In Iran, already in the Middle Ages, there was developed a tradition of treating bridge crossings as an important
element in the life of local communities. To this day in Isfahan there have survived structures such as the bridge Hadzu
(1650) with a length of 102 m. The bridge was modeled on, at that time, a longer construction that is the 33 Arches
Bridge (1602) with a length of 298 m, built by Khan Allahwardi who was a military commander of Shah Abbas I (Fig. 1b).
At that time bridges meant not only crossing over a river but also a place of diverse activities. One could find there
trading and handicrafts as well as numerous teahouses. So the bridge became an urban space with accompanying
services. The bridge can be also found in literature and film as a place of dramatic action or romantic raptures such as
the meeting of Dante and Beatrice at the entrance of the Ponte Santa Trinita in the painting illustrating scenes from the
Divine Comedy (Fig. 2a-b).

Fig. 2a-b Ponte Santa Trinita, Florence, 1569 and the painting illustrating scenes from the Divine Comedy Dante and Beatrice

Such a three-dimensional space, as David Canter indicates, is a result of a relation between human activities, concepts
relating to the management of the space and its physical attributes [2]. One should therefore aim at transforming the
surroundings in such a way that its newly created features would meet the requirements of the other place-creating
components. That would mean a creation of such features that would facilitate or simplify the identification of a given
place.
New Millennium Plaza is a unique footbridge that is an example of how a bridge can create place. How a space enclosed
by a structure isolates a three-dimensional space for existential purposes. How it obtains, as Norberg-Schulz expresses,
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architectural and structural features. How the construction gives individual quality to that space (Fig. 3a). Another notable
example is the winning competition design of a footbridge in Providance in the U.S. (Fig. 3b). The office Happold and the
architects at the company Inform proposed to combine several municipal functions in one bridge object. They turned the
place into an attractive space where free time activities could be carried out. David Canters three-dimensional model
shows that place is created when the transformed environment obtains such physical features through which the user
can identify himself with the surroundings and through which his expectations are met. Different strategies may lead to
achieve this goal.

Fig. 3a-b New Millenium Plaza, Graz by Art&Idea, 2000 and Footbridge Providance (U.S.A) by Buro Happold, Inform, 2013

A particular example of a bridge structure that constitutes place is the exhibition pavilion of the Austrian firm Rieder that
produces construction concrete Fibre C. This innovative combination of concrete and alkaline-proof fiberglass allows for
the formation of thin-walled free forms of complex geometry. A manifestation of the possibilities of this new material is
the footbridge over the river Ebro. The bridge shows visitors into the EXPO'08 area in Zaragoza. The combination of
communication and exhibition features required such an arrangement of the space that the bridge structure would be just
as attractive to the visitors as the new environment friendly building material. Zaha Hadid Architects together with the
engineers of Ove Arup Engineers in London made a structure which like a huge gladiolus bud comes over the river
offering to its visitors diverse impressions resulting from the arrangement and lay-out of the interior space (Fig. 4a- b).

Fig. 4a-b Bridge-Pavilion EXPO'08, Zaragoza by ZHA, Ove Arup Engineers, 2008

To give features of place to already existing urban fabric demands many analyses and studies on the part of designers.
It is not just about solving problems arising from the new traffic arrangements in the assigned part of the city. It is also a
response to the already existing complex space arrangements with their present looks and stylization. Bridge
constructing is and should be not only engineering but also the art and the skill of space shaping in order to meet
psychological needs of an individual.
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3. The impact of digital technologies on the development of pedestrian bridges

For several decades digital technologies have been effectively transforming designing and realization of engineering
objects. They offer tools for calculation, analysis or spatial modelling. In this way they transfer the frontiers of perceiving
the art of bridge building. Today digital design and manufacturing tools allow for designing and realization of complex
geometry bridges which earlier used to be difficult or impossible to calculate. Materials engineering, in its turn, focuses
on searching for suitable materials. There can be witnessed a change of approach regarding designing of bridges. Their
environmental efficiency and aesthetic aspects of space formation are becoming crucial issues. There is emerging a
trend to stronger bind a bridge with the urban tissue, to connect the function of crossing over an obstacle with other
functions of the city. Such an approach demands appropriate professional readiness on the part of designers.

3.1 Gateshead Millennium Bridge - the first footbridge processed completely digitally
Completed in 2001, the swing bridge for pedestrians Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Newcastle is the first bridge object
formed completely digitally - from the design concept through the execution to the installation and locating at the
destination place. The documentation of the project has been recorded in 3D with the help of digital design tools. This
allowed for its manufacturing in CNC technology. The design of this bridge was chosen in a competition in 1997. The
competition put emphasis on adequate aesthetic and innovative construction solutions. The landscape interior of the
river Tyne already contained (before the construction of the footbridge) 6 steel bridges, out of which at least three belong
to the top class historical bridge constructions. These are the beam-arched bridge High Level designed by Robert
Stevenson (1848), Swing Bridge (a swing bridge) designed by William Armstrong (1879) and the truss-arched Tyne
Bridge designed by David Anderson (1928), then of the largest span of an arched bridge in the UK - 162 m [3].
The selection of the design concept for the Millennium Bridge was determined by:
- applicability of form symbolism to the time of its creation and the place of its realization
- complementarity to the already existing nearby bridge structures
- keeping the engineering standard at the same level as that of the adjacent objects or higher
- innovative engineering and architectural solutions with regard to the surroundings
- enhancing of the aesthetic value of the view at the river from the existing bridges

Fig. 5 Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Newcastle by Gifford&Partners and Wilkinson Eyre Architects,2001

The engineers at Gifford and Partners together with Wilkinson Eyre Architects designed, with the help of digital tools, a
bridge which consists of two parabolic arcs both in projection and in elevation. The bigger arc spanned over the River
Tyne reaches the span of 105.0 m and height of 45.0 m (f/l = 1/2, 3). The other one is a pedestrian and bicycle bridge
with a length of 126.0 m and of variable width of total 7.20 m [3] (Fig. 5).
By using appropriate computer programs there were designed complete models of the spatial structure at different
stages of its work and there was visualized the impact of external factors and the behaviour of materials. There were
conducted static and dynamic analyses of the behavior of the object through examining its three-dimensional models.
The total of 374 structural steel elements and fillers were modeled. Their geometrical models were later used for their
manufacturing [ 3].
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Pedestrian bridges are of particular importance for the integration of local communities. They define space for contacts
and are a special place that allows optical contact with the urban interior created by the river and its on-shore buildings,
boulevards and recreation greenery. A place like that also allows for a more complete perception of the earlier
constructed bridges that are often masterpieces of engineering. Gateshead Millennium pedestrian bridge meets these
conditions by linking two cities of Newcastle and Gateshead. It is a symbolic and landscape sign of the space. Together
with the Sage Gateshead music center (1997-2004) designed by Foster & Partner the footbridge is an expression of
a new era of digital technology that aims at building smoothly modeled forms [4].

3.2 Footbridges with complex geometry

The integrated CAD/CAM/CE systems for engineering design offer today tools for complex spatial modeling of
structures, creation of your own load-bearing elements and their automatic generating. Much attention is drawn to such
examples as the unconventionally formed footbridge leading to the Jay Priztzker Pavilion in Chicago built after Frank
Gehry's design in 2004 or the bridge-exhibition pavilion over the river Ebro designed by Zaha Hadid Architects on the
grounds of EXPO'08 in Zaragoza (Fig. 4a-b). Their smooth lines fit easily in the surroundings and tone down the spatial
conflicts there.

Fig.6a-b Onepoto pedestrian footbridge, Onepoto, New Zealand by Beca Architects, 2012

The Onepoto pedestrian footbridge reflects the radical concept of integrating architecture onto structure embedded into
an urban fabric (Fig. 6a-b). In response to the Government Urban Design Protocol, North Shore City Council wanted to
provide a functional structure for pedestrians to cross safely, but at the same time offered a unique experience for users
by incorporating architectural elements into the bridge to create interest, and to blend it into the surrounding landscape.
The form of the bridge was processed completely digitally. The use of modeling software enabled and encouraged three-
dimensional non-uniform design. The complex organic form was derived through a succession of manipulations,
beginning as a cylinder but, by controlling the tension of the surface through a multiplicity of nodes, a shape that
accorded with the sites intent was achieved. Construction materials were then introduced to the model to take the
concept from the virtual into reality. Unique glue laminated rib components were geometrically crafted to varying lengths;
once grouped in a specific order they emerge into an undulating sinuous form. The ribs become more than purely
aesthetic additions, rather serving as a shield from the busy traffic on Onewa Road, giving real as well as perceived
safety to pedestrians, and providing a sheltered outlook onto the mangroves and the Onepoto domain. With the aspect
of visual pollution an important driver, the ribs conceal the concrete beam of the underlying structure and allow for the
bridge to be completely camouflaged within the natural mangrove environment [5].
More and more footbridges are constructed around the world. They manifest design possibilities of integrated systems
like CAD/CAM/CE. The Webb DockRail Bridge in Melbourne (2004) is a spectacular example of that. The bridge was
processed completely digitally. A competition-winning design for a new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the Yarra river, as
part of a public art project, in Melbournes Docklands area. The brief called for the re-use of the remaining sections of the
Webb Dock Rail Bridge, in order to link the Docklands on the north side to the new residential developments on the
south side. The bridge comprises two distinct sections: the existing structure (145 m long) and the new curved, ramped
connecting link (80 m long) employed to take up level changes, creating a point of arrival at the south bank. Both are
joined seamlessly, with an emphasis on volume and containment in the new curved and sinuous form (Fig. 7a-b) [4].

There are two main components to the bridge: the pigmented concrete screed deck on steel box beams and the
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containing baskets/ribs of circular/ovoid hoops which encircle the bridge deck. The hoops vary in width from 5 8.7 m
and in height from 4 8.9 m high. They are constructed from steel sections 15 x 150 mm, occurring at varying centres
along the bridge. These are interconnected by a series of steel straps 150 mm wide.
The existing remnant Webb Dock Rail Bridge and its new connection to the south bank, become a unified sculptural
form. The resulting structure suggests a new connection, or a knot, between the old and new, past and future. From afar,
it is perceived as an object that becomes, in turn, a place of action and transition as one uses it. The new Webb Bridge
allows users to appreciate the surrounding views and activities along the river and can be used as a destination in its
own right, as well as a meeting point, or simply, a place of leisurely contemplation. As an object, it appears as
a delineated structure, a sensuous volume, light and linear. Space is seen as atmospheric, dynamic and transitional.
Designed by Denton Corker Marshall in collaboration with artist Robert Owen, Webb Bridge (Yarra River, Melbourne)
was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design (Victorian Architecture Awards
2005) and a National Commendation for Urban Design (2005).

Fig. 7a-b Webb DockRail Bridge in Melbourne Denton Corker Marshall, 2004

The first undulating footbridge is under construction in Maribor, second largest city in Slovenia. The footbridge designed
by Toronto-based architecture firm Ja Studio is part of the citys attempt to revive its riverfront area. At 150 meters long,
the Lent-Tabor Bridges is nestled within Maribor's historic city district and provides walkers, runners, and cyclists with
their own exclusive crossing of the Drava river. The winding bridge has a reflective metallic red underside and a crisp
white walkway (Fig. 8a-b).

Fig. 8a-b Maribor Footbridge, Maribor by Ja Studio, 2011

Crossing the new pedestrian bridge would be as important as spending time on it. The proximity of the existing bridges
over Drava along Lent Tabor embankment provides an opportunity for the new bridge to perform more than a crossing
bridge and become both a landmark and a vibrant urban surface that is intensely engaged with the water
The above examples show that digital design tools have freed the imagination of bridge designers. Their works differ
from those designed by traditional methods. Nowadays digital computational and analytical techniques allow you to
design virtually any form of bridge structure. An important role is played here by analytical computational techniques
based on MES and also digital analyses of dynamic behaviours (CFD). Such quality evaluations of design concepts can
be carried out thanks to improved techniques of graphic input data processing and their visualization.
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4. Towards the integration of functions

Digital technologies provide ample opportunities for research and calculations of building structures. They direct
designers attention toward the integration of urban functions with help of a bridge. Residential bridges or commercial
bridges were already known in the Middle Ages. Their role in the urban body was always important and reflected the
wealth and prosperity of its inhabitants. Today this idea is on its way back. As a result of that the creativity of architects,
especially those designing bridges, can focus on a stronger integration between a bridge (as a way of crossing over an
obstacle) and other functions of the city.

For example, the ONL Architects are experimenting with an integration of different functions in one bridge structure. The
project of the pedestrian bridge in the city park in Kaiserslautern is a multi-functional form covering not only the bridge,
but also the observation tower with a cloud-capped cafeteria, art studios as well as a metro station, bars and lounges
(Fig. 9a-b).

Fig. 9a-b Pedestrian Bridge, Keiserslautern by ONL Architects, 2008

The search for eco-efficient solutions in the design of pedestrian bridges is, inter alia, done by architect Laurent Dain Val
and his team. They developed an incredible footbridge and cafe as an entry for a design competition calling for new
bridge ideas for Amsterdam (Fig.10a-b). Designed to be built in wood and steel, the architecture of the project is a site-
sensitive form with an adjustable roof and facade able to optimize daylight, or protect the building from the elements.

Fig. 10a-b Amsterdam Footbridge-Cafe, Amsterdam by Laurent Sain Val Studio, 2012

The design of the roof also allows for rainwater collection, and the amenities on-site include a caf/restaurant, shop, and
ample space to park bikes! Taking into account the ancient use of the digital medium, Val sought to illustrate
a contemporary manipulation of timber in which its flexibility, sustainability and adaptive properties are unmatched by
other materials. Additionally, appropriate bridge-building materials like steel and aluminum were chosen for their ability
to create a seemingly lightweight structure that can withstand heavy loads. The remaining aesthetic attributes of the
bridge were met with glass. Large windows allow natural light to penetrate the interior, while also creating an
unobstructed view of the outside. The bridge differs from most in that it features a restaurant, a bike shop and a garden.
Saint-Val stressed the importance of a bike shop as a means to promote sustainability and the reduction of automobile
pollution in an urban setting.
Water management and its circulation is still the most important function of Amsterdams canals. I am proposing
a footbridge which filters and prevents pollutants and water stagnation, as windmills once did (Fig.11a-b). The main
function of the presented footbridge is to help purify the canals and aerate the water in order to flush it through the city
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when the locks open. The bridge offers a bicycle repair shop and a cafe open to the public, hydraulic pumps direct canal
water through the series of filters embedded within the steel ribbed frames that wrap around the bridge, returning
cleaner and less polluted water into the canal, most importantly deterring stagnant water by aerating it back into the city,
bicycles are hoisted up into the frame waiting to be repaired. An orange water tunnel through the design holds a cafe,
which has inner reinforced etched glass panels that give the feel of being underwater. The entire scheme is a piece of
reclaimed land, a polder for people to sunbathe and relax, an urban beach. The form of the proposed bridge follows a
water vortex creating a current that takes the water out through open locks to the other side of the city. This helps canal
sanitation in conjunction with them being flushed 3 times a week. The bridge acts as a reservation for birds attracted to
the cleaner water. The design has been adapted from a water irrigation pump/bridge to be used in HoldenManz wine
estate in Franschhoek, Cape Town. A bridge which filters water in order to irrigate the surrounding vineyards, the
original design commissioned by the wine estate has been adapted to Amsterdam [6].

Fig. 11a-b Water Purification Footbridge, Amsterdam by M. Krasojevic, 2013

The unique and complex form of the footbridges processed digitally is a proof that a change of approach in the design of
bridges is taking place. The aesthetic aspect of the object becomes important, its form in space. The calculations, as of
secondary importance, are performed by the computer. The point was that a footbridge should have individual quality
and should be one of the elements in the urban fabric that are associated with human actions and ideas directly related
to that particular area. Such a change of approach demands a different professional readiness on the part of bridge
designers. There should be more emphasis put on the aesthetic aspects of space formation.

5. Conclusions
The development of digital technologies has turned the computer into an indispensable interface in the process of
designing and building. New tools for designing along with digital technology of manufacturing have transferred the work
of bridge designing to a higher level of space and material arrangement. The digital workshop, so far, has not changed
the basic principles of their designing and constructing. Nevertheless, it has brought new conceptual ideas arising from
the digital tools used for engineering design. Continuity, smoothness, elasticity and fluency of the form mediates with the
surroundings, tones down spatial conflicts and contradictions. It also builds up the content of the place where it is
created and out of its genius loci transforms the material shape of the space into structures suspended between the
spirit of place and the spirit of time.
Generally buildings which are digitally designed focus on implementing widely understood environmental imperative. The
structural, material, economic and environmental parameters that have not been in the foreground before are turning into
a significant medium of semantic content. The content describes processes through which ecology, culture, technology
and building are united to create an area of complex relations. Thus new effects of strong impact are brought to life,
which results in the change of perception of the interrelations between Man and Nature and Culture.

6. References
[1] NORBERG-SCHULZ CH., Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture, Rizzoli 1991.
[2] CANTER D., The Psychology of Place, The Architectural Press, London 1977.
[3] JOHNSON J., CURAN P., Bridge-an-eye-opener for engineering, ICE, Vol. 156, No. 2, 2003, pp.16-24.
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[4] FLAGA K., JANUSZKIEWICZ K., Pikno konstrukcji mostowych, Krakow 2012, pp. 162-164.
[5] Footbridge in Maribor/Ja Studio, http://www.archdaily.com/55957/footbridge-in-maribor-ja-studio-tadj-farzin-studio/
(access 12. 02. 2014).
[6] Water Purification Footbridge, http://www.e-architect.co.uk/concept/purifying-footbridge-amsterdam
(access 12. 02. 2014).