Netherland based Next Architects had the tedious task of integrating a bridge transporting motor-vehicle traffic through the ecological zone of the Glanerbeek.




The focus was the preservation of the continuity for both the green landscape and the flow of vehicular circulation. Above the brook the bridge transforms according to visual and ecological demands, with a creative use of building material that helped the bridge to blend in.

 



The bridge splits into three separate lanes – one each for bus, pedestrians and bicycles - and each assigned its individual artery the maximum available height, clearance and incline. This emphasizes its transparency, providing daylight underneath the bridge for flora and fauna, as well as a view of the Glanerbeek for passersby.


A bench placed at the most advantageous overlook on the footpath combines the traditional function of the bridge as a point of transition with that of a meeting place.



The construction is based on a thin in-situ concrete deck, strategically positioned atop a repetition of gabions filled with rough stones. The use of gabions allows plants and wildlife to inhabit the structure, further integrating the bridge into its natural surroundings.

 



Project Description and Credits:

Project Title: Bridges Glanerbeek
Client:    Municipality Enschede

Architect / designer:  NEXT architects
, Paul van Vlissingenstraat 2a, 1096 BK Amsterdam, The Netherlands, p:    +31(0)204630463
Team:    Bart Reuser, Marijn Schenk, Michel Schreinemachers, John van de Water with Shaya Fallahi, Joost Lemmens


Collaborator/Associate:H+N+S Landscape architects, Utrecht

Advisor construction:    ABT Velp, Rob Nijsse and Jans Askes

Advisor :    DHV Hengelo, Ivo Mollink

Photographer(s):    NEXT photography

Floor area:    20 mtr span
Cost / Value:    euro 600.000,00
Completion:    May 2007