Drammen Bridge, Norway

Suspended Animation

Drammen is a city in transformation.

At the heart of the transformation is the waterfont regeneration and the development of Grønland. The new footbridge is a catalyst for its success.

Our proposal is based on the notion of skipping stones (fiske-sprett). The effortless movement across the water makes natural trajectories, each movement clearly defined by its physical constraints. This bridge reconciles the physical and practical constraints with the conceptual notion of a dynamic moment frozen in time.

The shape of the bridge is generated to create a sequence of views and spaces while ensuring that the gradient gives full disabled access and the necessary clearances for river traffic. Full disabled access is a moral obligation and it is currently being introduced into Norwegian legislation.

The structure consists of two intertwining steel ribbons that, together with the structural steel deck, act as one structure, creating a sinuous and efficient bridge. The deck is broken into a series of small spans, thus ensuring a slim profile, with minimal visual obstruction.

The bridge connects to the upper park level, rather than at the riverfront level. This reinforces the connection with the park, as well as ensuring minimum disruption to the footpath, and the rowing club launch pad. At the south end, the landing directs you towards the heart of the new “Kunnskapsparken” development with a discreet insertion into the new basin, complementing rather than disrupting the existing landscaping scheme.

At night the bridge reveals another, more mysterious character. Underwater floodlights wash light onto the ribbons and the underside of the deck. A light in the handrail washes the footway, while the glass windshield is softly lit. The movement of people and cyclist across the bridge is tracked by increasing the intensity, creating strips of light moving across the bridge.

Suspended Animation is a dynamic and expressive bridge that will put Drammen on the map locally, nationally and internationally.

The Bridge was placed second in the international competition.

Client:
Team:




Design Team:

Drammen City Council
Adams Kara Taylor
Speirs & Major
Gross.Max
Sweco Grøner
Squint/Opera
Tomas Stokke, Neil Deely,
Andy Meira, Marcus Brett

View Drammen Movie (2MB)

Jury Report : Suspended Animation

The proposal shows a complex and unique (2MB) concept described as “the conceptual notion of a dynamic moment frozen in time”. With its distinctly expressive formal and technical solutions the author seeks to put Drammen on the map, locally, nationally and globally. The design will give a sequential experience of the landscape and the expression of the bridge will vary with viewing angle,
light-conditions and time of the day.

The author wants to introduce a playfulness and informality, and wants the population of the city to not only enjoy the far away view of the bridge, but also all the areas near the bridge, under, from the side and on the bridge. Technically, the construction of the bridge is achieved through a complex combination of arch construction (with cables) and the torsional box of the deck. The bridge has three main piers in the water and four minor piers on the waters edge.

The jury has the following comments  

• The bridge has a sculptural elegance, a unique design, and a distinct constructional principle that is clearly the most exciting in the competition, but which also carries a certain risk.
• The proposal is superbly illustrated, documented and described.
• The connections to the landscape are somewhat unclear, connections to existing terrain and infrastructure must be adjusted.
• The proposal generates large qualities and will create an identity to the area, generate interest and wonder, and possibly provoke.
• The construction is unconventional, complex and not immediately understandable.
• The jury is uncertain whether the solution is too complex (in a constructional sense) and whether the diagonal elements will increase the risk of collision with boats.
• The proposal shows a lighting scheme that will give room for large variations in expression.
• The proposal is somewhat abstracted, and the jury is not sure that the elegance of the scheme can be retained through to detail design.