FOOTBRIDGE OVER THE SEGRE RIVER

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

Lleida, 2000-2002

Cross section.

Several images showing the finished

footbridge. The side span on the left side

fans out to create a platform that serves as a

piazza-viewpoint and as a transition to the

path alongside the river. Structurally it acts as

a counterweight for an unbalanced side

span.

With its wide span and apparent

slenderness, the design of the

footbridge, developed in collaboration

with Ravetllat & Ribas architects,

highlights aspects related to the

asymmetrical composite section that it

uses. The footbridge, understood more

as an itinerary than a place to stop, is

intended to be a link between the two

banks instead of a limit for people on

foot. The design was a finalist in the

2004 FAD Architecture Awards, within

the “Open Spaces” section.

It accepts the structural challenge of

having only 2 piers and a central span of

83 m that fosters the impression that it is

suspended over the river. The Z-shaped

cross-section converts the footbridge

into a platform free of visual obstacles or

artificial landscapes created by its own

structure. The total thickness, divided

between the upper and lower beams, is

largely concealed, thus contributing to

the sensation of slenderness and

offering two differentiated elevations and

two ways of relating to the environment.

The geometrical configuration is the

following: a continuous lintel with a side

to side width of 5.4 m and a length of

144 m, with a central span of 83 m and

two side spans of 32 and 29 m.

The cross-section consists of 2 box

girders tied by transverse steel girders

and a structural concrete slab of 15 cm,

which is raised 1.15 m, partially

concealing the 2 m thickness of the

lower box. The upper beam, with a

maximum thickness of 1.75 m and a

slight outward lean, rises 1.20 m above

the level of the deck, acting as a fascia.

The two central piers are resolved using

slender walls of 4.40 x 0.80 m with pile

foundations.