DeSimone and Gagarin Studios Enter Bridge Design Competition

DeSimone’s structural engineers in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England, recently teamed up with frequent collaborator Gagarin Studios to submit to a design competition entry for a new pedestrian bridge in Most, Czech Republic.

In an area scarred by twentieth-century mining, the goal of the bridge was to reconnect the city to Lake Most, tying the two areas together. The design echoes the draglines and conveyors of the former mine by employing two decks—pedestrian and cycle—that converge and diverge, eventually meeting at a circular mid-span node forming a belvedere above the river.

The striking, slender concept uses opposing post-tensioned cables, connecting struts, and precast reinforced concrete decks, achieving two 100-meter (328 foot) clear spans. The first spanning over the motorway and slip roads, the second spanning the tram lines, railway and river.

Though unbuilt, the concept illustrates the creative thinking behind our bridge designs. Our engineers apply this creativity to bridges across the United Kingdom, including the recently unveiled West Park Bridge, a steel suspension bridge spanning 30 meters (98 feet) across the Erewash Canal in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, England. In Leeds, England, our engineers designed the structure for the award-winning Citu Footbridge, spanning the River Aire, and also designed by Gagarin Studios.

DeSimone team: Principal Darren Paine, Senior Project Engineer Allister Smith