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Architects
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Location
Knokke, Flanders, Belgium -
Engineers
Ney & Partners -
Client
Flemish Community -
Project Length
110 m -
Budget
$1,700,000 euro -
Area
110.0 m2 -
Project Year
2007 -
Photographs
Text description provided by the architects. Situated on the Queen Elisabeth Avenue, connecting Knokke with Ostende, this pedestrian bridge full fills two functions. On the one hand, the bridge connects the sea dike with a green zone in the “Polders”, creating tourism possibilities for cyclists and pedestrians. On the other hand the bridge symbolizes the entrance into the marine city of Knokke Heist. The static model is a continuous beam with 102m length that rests on 4 supports. This creates an ideal span division of 28m/46m/28m.
The structural form was first hand sketched, then digitally processed: a software program computed the minimum amount of material required and thus the shapes of the openings. The result is an optimized shape. From a conceptual point of view, the bridge consists of welded bent steel plates of 12mm thickness, forming a structural steel “hammock” to which a concrete deck is tied. To resist shear forces, caused by the bent shape in plan, the sides of the plates are inclined at 45°, with respect to the central axis.
