A New Bridge for Eglisau

5. Semester autumn 2016
Prof. Joseph Schwartz
with Robin Barmettler

Within 12 weeks, the two of us worked out a proposal for a bridge in Eglisau in Zürich. Special attention was paid to the load-bearing behaviour, which concluded in a sophisticated balancing act.

The main load is carried by the arch, which spans the Rhine at an 18° angle. The horizontal forces that this introduces, are lead into the ground through the inclined supports. The different rope inclinations influence the cross-section of the street as well as the cross-section of the arch and its orientation. This to ensure an optimal distribution of the forces. The result is a tensioned bridge soffit as well as reduced cross-sections and thus material savings in the arch and street. The bridge thus swings in an elegant arch over the river and is firmly supported on both sides.

Within the documentation, you will find an excerpt from the calculations for shape and material optimization. These were additionally checked in a parametric 3D model in Rhino.