Moxon Architects has won the competition in collaboration timber bridge engineering specialist Ingenieurbüro Miebach. The team’s proposal was selected unanimously by the competition jury and commended for its sympathetic response to the natural riverbank setting.
The new crossing is due to be unveiled for the 2023 Baden-Würtemberg Garden Show and is intended to form a focal showpiece of a 14-hectare regeneration project in preparation for the event.
The bridge has been designed to be sustainable and to require little maintenance. It will feature a pair of structural timber beams spanning 40m over the River Eyach at an oblique angle. The two angled and tapered beams are designed to flare outwards in plan as they approach either riverbank, embracing the town’s network of footpaths and cycle tracks.
The beams extend above the level of the deck to form the bridge’s parapet sides, allowing the bridge to clear future predicted flood levels while enabling fully accessible gradients at either approach. The outward leaning outer faces of the shaped glulam beams will be visible, weathering naturally over time. The inner, pedestrian-facing surfaces will be clad in native timber slats with integrated lighting and handrails.
Ezra Groskin, associate at Moxon Architects said: “The new bridge will strengthen the footpath network in Balingen and contribute to responsible regeneration. Furthermore we believe timber will continue to play a growing role in the UK’s built environment and so are excited to bring the experience and knowledge gained through this European collaboration home where it will inform our approach to designing both bridges and buildings in this country.”
