PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

A group of social housing was built for families who work in the traditional resort town of Zapallar, in the central coast of Chile. The new dwellings were located on the other side of the Route that unites Zapallar with other coastal villages, on a small hill. The road has high traffic and it´s dangerous because it curves several times, making it difficult the vision of children who go to the schools, mothers who go to shop or work, plus men who work in fishing and other jobs. We were commissioned to make a bridge that would bring security to pedestrians, connecting for the high part both sectors. The bridge would also serve to transfer water pipes, electricity, etc. The bridge was projected in laminated wood and it is simply supported in concrete bases. Its execution and assembly was made in part in Santiago and moved by land to Zapallar, where it was installed and finished. Although it has the cross form of a rowboat, it corresponds to an inverted arch, triangular and longitudinally arched, which reduces the deformations. A master beam in the lower part resists the inflection. The deformations are controlled by the total, composed by this master beam and the two secondary beams parallel, located on a side. These three beams are united by the “frames” and the floorboard. The interior elements are in compression or in tension. The "frames" were elevated to maintain the metallic railings, the drainpipes with Led illumination and the obligatory metallic netting, avoiding eventual stone throwing toward vehicles. All the materials were untidy in their natural color. By external motives to the architect, the bridge was displaced some 50mts. from its original location in the zenith of the road. Also, the ramps and pedestrian access paths were not carried out according to the plans of architecture. Anyway the work offers different interpretations. It can be seen as an inverted boat of the bay, like a beauty queen tiara, as arch of access to the town, a fish´s backbone, etc.