Infrastructure
A201 Cycle Bridge, Brussels
At 700 metres, the longest cycle bridge in the Benelux
Prominently placed in the urban landscape, the bridge stretches across the A201 with abutments and approach ramps of more than a hundred metres each. The design settles seamlessly into its surroundings and draws a silhouette of lightness and transparency.
The bridge is built from white-painted steel, carried by V-shaped grey steel columns, and lifts cyclists in one flowing straight line to eight metres above the motorway. The entire deck is a single solid steel body of welded elements, which makes maintenance-prone joints — apart from those at the abutments — unnecessary.
The repetition of details along its full length creates a powerful visual effect: cantilevered ribs beneath the deck carry the pedestrian zone and continue into vertical balusters, leading the bridge light and seemingly floating towards the horizon.
My contribution
- Initiating design studies and convincing the project team with a coherent aesthetic
- Designing the bridge details from sketch to construction stage
- Complete 2D drawings (Vectorworks) from concept to construction design
- Parametric modelling and visualisation in Vectorworks, Cinema 4D and Rhino
- Checking BIM models for discrepancies against consultants' models
- Site visits, construction meetings and visits to the steel fabricator
- Coordination with structural engineers, contractors and other stakeholders