The future project for the widening and naturalizing of the Rhone river in the Chablais region, calls for several new footbridges. Our proposal asserts a clear span, cable stayed bridge with no intermediate supports, designed to have as light an impact as possible on the terrain and riverside ecosystem.
Two structural masts in the form of two arms are asymmetrically positioned on opposite sides of the bridge, such that users can cross the bridge always having at least one side as an unobstructed view to the Valley landscape. The two structural arms meet in the middle via an angled beam, creating an elegant single structural line from mast to mast, a connection which is evident only from the riverbed below. Guy wires are sized according to their loading, having thicknesses which thin as they reach the extents of the bridge.
Materials are selected for their minimal carbon footprint and optimal integration into the landscape—including local CFUP for the main bridge and Corten steel for its natural patina.
Designed to last, the footbridge combines robustness and lightness, technology and poetry. In a sustainable gesture, in harmony with nature and the history of the Rhône, it offers users a new way of experiencing the river.
