The Pedro and Inês Bridge: Coimbra, Portugal
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Project Summary
An innovative new pedestrian footbridge crosses the River Mondego in Coimbra, Portugal
Project Description
ARUP
In the city of Coimbra, Portugal, an innovative new pedestrian footbridge designed by Arup's Cecil Balmond with bridge designer and former chair of AFA Consult in Portugal António Adão da Fonseca, has turned crossing the Mondego River into a journey of discovery.
The Pedro and Inês Bridge is named after an age-old story of love, deceit and murder within the Portuguese Monarchy and was opened in the presence of the President of the Portuguese Republic. Its cantilevered walkways are joined only by a central island section that has no deep beam supports, giving the visual effect of a bridge that seemingly doesn't meet.
'We wanted to break the traditional, continuous sight lines of a bridge to create a structure that provokes exploration and questioning of accepted practices and methods.' Cecil Balmond
Working with the Advanced Geometry Unit (AGU) that he founded at Arup, Cecil Balmond has succeeded in creating a seemingly unprecedented piece of architecture. The structural dynamic is however, just one part of a richly conceived design concept for this bridge that makes it more than an engineering feat.
Bespoke balustrading with facetted panes of glass catch dappled light that has bounced off the river, as it is trapped between a seemingly random carbon steel framework. This and the landscaping to either side of the bridge demonstrate how pure structural techniques can introduce a new aesthetic into architecture.