Bosse Bridge!
LAVA have realised their first bridge design in Europe, a pedestrian bridge in Rotterdam, inspired by the efficiency and beauty in nature’s geometries.
“Referencing branching structures we created a playful railing that brings together our core interest in nature, technology and man”, said Chris Bosse, director of LAVA.
“Developed using a digital workflow, the bridge railings, made of ultra high performance fibre reinforced concrete, provide both safety and visual interest for pedestrians and continue our interest in combining structure, ornament and architectural space into one element.”
The demonstration project by FDN Engineering and Construction aims to show that ultra high strength concrete bridges with a very thin concrete deck are possible. The bridge is 19m long, constructed from just nine cubes of concrete and can carry a twelve tonne vehicle.
Director Dil Tirimanna of FDN said: “We are excited to have constructed the first bridge with a deck thickness of 60mm in concrete. We have proven this is possible ‐ an economical bridge which does not cost more than a standard concrete or steel bridge and requires no maintenance for 100 years.”
“We have named this the ‘Bosse Bridge’ after Chris’ inspiring geometric designs. Located in a lovely residential area we wanted to create interconnections between engineering and nature. We also have a ‘Bionic Bridge’ inspired by the biomorphic structure of LAVA’s Bionic Tower design. The concrete can in a variety of colours too!” [see the colour palette image].
The modular system of two standard elements [railing and plate] means a bridge 30m x 5m can be transported economically in twenty‐foot containers to all parts of the world.
Project data:
Design: LAVA, Laboratory for Visionary Architecture ‐ Chris Bosse, Tobias Wallisser, Alexander Rieck
Engineering and Construction: Functional Design Netherlands, FDN ‐ Dil Tirimanna
Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Status: Constructed
Date: 2013
Materials: UHPFRC [ultra high performance fibre reinforced concrete]
Size: 19m x 3.4m; deck 60mm thick; railing beam 125mm thick
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