Destinations: The Moses Bridge, Netherlands
Getting from one side to the other, typically, (in the landscape) involves a bridge (or a tunnel) but this hybrid is an exciting mix of the two.
The Moses ‘Bridge’ is located in Halsteren, Municipality of Bergen op Zoom , The Netherlands. In order to not disrupt the views to historic Fort de Roovere, RO&AD Architects of the Netherlands and Belgium created this this pedestrian bridge as a way to cross the historic defenses.
It is built with Accsys Technology whereby Accoya wood undergoes a nontoxic proprietary modification process called acetylation that renders it an unrecognizable wood source which prevents fungal decay from the exposure of water and moisture and increases its structural stability.
I am fascinated by this and want nothing more than to experience a walk across this path. But I am also intrigued by the technology and wonder if perhaps this can evolve as a common alternative to bridges? It is beautiful in design and if there is not a need to allows vessels to pass beneath (and I wonder if the water and aquatic life passes below?), can it be considered in other applications?
images from yatzer.
plantingoaks said,
January 9, 2012 @ 12:16 pm
Fascinating!
I, too, am curious about the engineering details like what’s underneath it, and how it deals with rising or falling water levels.
I am picturing a variation with the water flowing over the edges like waterfalls in a fountain, but I suppose that would require a working pump to keep the bridge open. Not nearly as practical.
Sarah Colburn-Rosenfield said,
January 9, 2012 @ 12:43 pm
That bridge is amazing!
Sarah Colburn-Rosenfield said,
January 9, 2012 @ 12:43 pm
That bridge is amazing!
Robin Malloy said,
January 9, 2012 @ 2:54 pm
How cool is that?!!
David Feix said,
January 9, 2012 @ 4:43 pm
Judging from how this looks in the photo, this is not a canal that has to deal with a current and variable water levels. It simply wouldn’t work as an approach to crossing a river or flowing canal with this type of bridge,(think of trapped branches in a creek and how they can cause obstruction of flow and localized flooding). The bridge level appears fixed without any mechanism to raise or lower from the photo, and even if there was great depth of water below the bridge, it would still obstruct flow under high rainfall conditions. I suspect this is simply a moat…
RO&AD Architects – Moses Bridge | said,
January 18, 2012 @ 11:35 am
[...] This project is a testament to the rot resistance of Accoya Wood. Read more… [...]