Czech studio Ehl & Koumar Architekti has revealed a sculptural footbridge made from steel and concrete that features cantilevered viewpoints on both sides.
The footbridge, which creates a pedestrian route across a busy motorway in Litomy?l, the Czech Republic, is made from welded steel supported by exposed concrete pillars.
The footbridge leads across a motorway
"The heavy shapes of concrete pillars contrast to the lightweight steel structure and we like to use the exposed concrete for its almost tactile qualities," Ehl & Koumar Architekti architect Tomas Koumar told Dezeen.
The bridge is constructed as a continuous beam with two spans and cantilevered ends that function as viewpoints, one of which provides a view of the nearby Lou?ná River. It is made from welded steel and concrete
Ehl & Koumar Architekti designed the 56.6-metre-tall bridge using a Vierendeel truss with rectangular frames in order to make its deck as low as possible.
"We wanted to give the new footbridge the human scale, have its deck as low as possible and protect pedestrians from the busy I/35 highway," Koumar said.
"Therefore, we designed the horizontal part as a spatial 3D Vierendeel girder."
Cantilevers on both ends provide views
As well as using concrete for the pillars of the bridge, the studio created a concrete elevator tower that doubles as a structural support and faces Litomy?l's historic city centre.
This is located on the axis of an existing staircas...