No abstract

<p>In the small village of Besigheim, north of Stuttgart, a footbridge over the river Enz was built just in front of the historic, listed cityscape.</p><p>With a curved span of approximately 70m and inclined hanger cables just connected to the outer edge of the superstructure, the one-sided suspension bridge offers pedestrians a direct connection from the new-built park and garage to the medieval city-center, and cyclists to smoothly transfer from one river bank to the other.</p><p>The new footbridge, despite being a highly technical lightweight structure, respectfully considers the local context and carefully embraces the adjacent listed water mill. It hence contributes in form and function to the creation of the new park and playground at the riverbank, and it allows visitors for a new experience of the river and the historic cityscape.</p>

<p>Being part of the just ongoing garden exhibition in Ingolstadt, Germany, a new footbridge leads across an arterial road to the main entrance of the new park. Crossing the bridge and approaching the park, visitors can experience the gardens already from the distance.</p><p>Pedestrian bridges are walked, experienced and touched by people, so they have to find the right language and scale - and they have to reflect and respect the context and the place where they are built.</p><p>The design for the Pius Bridge in Ingolstadt takes this intrinsic requirement into account by clearly reducing it to the basic function of a bridge: to provide users with a direct route connection! In addition, the design aims to give the place and itself an individual and identity-creating character through a concise structure and well thought-out details.</p><p>However, the bridge as a whole is much more than the sum of its formal components: it not only connects two places, but it also combines function, form, structure and lighting to form a holistic ensemble that fits naturally into the urban context, perception and everyday life of people.</p>

<p>In Riedlingen/Danube (Germany), extensive flood protection measures had to be implemented in recent years, with the result that many of the existing bridges had to be replaced. The bridges are very important for Riedlingen, as they provide access to the historic town center. The opportunity was used to develop an urban design concept with an interdisciplinary planning team. The entrances to the old town were enhanced with their own sojourn quality. As a result, three new bridges were built and another one is currently under construction.</p><p>It is a rare opportunity and special task to design several bridges that are within a few hundred meters of each other. It is important to ensure not only that the structures are integrated into their respective environments, but also that there is an appropriate hierarchy among them. For the bridges in Riedlingen, the aim was to create modern, elegant structures that complemented their historical or near-natural surroundings. At the same time, they were to set a high architectural standard that had the potential to act as a catalyst for future redevelopment areas in the city. The associated lighting – as an important component of the public space, which has been proven to contribute to its identity and safety – was also commissioned as part of the planning services and integrated into the structures from the very beginning.</p>