Many cities in the world have bridges that are famous landmarks, such as the Brooklyn Bridge in New York and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The city of Esch sur Alzette in Luxembourg has a different kind of landmark, a uniquely elegant pedestrian bridge.
Esch sur Alzette, the second largest city in Luxembourg and a pedestrian bridge became a necessity for the people living in the city center who needed a direct connection between the heart of the city and the Park of Galgenberg. The bridge was completed in 2009 and since then it is the new landmark of Esch sur Alzette. It was designed by Metaform Architects and Τ6-Ney & Partners. The volume of the bridge is characterized by an uncluttered and minimalist design philosophy. The highlights of this original and impressive design is the impressive organic shape further highlighted during night time by a bold red colored lighting system.
During the night it is left without any lights of its own, permitting the city lights to project their own illumination on the pedestrian bridge. This lack of illumination is also due to the fact that it is only opened during the daytime and thus it saves a good amount of energy by remaining on standby. The interior is really organic in color and design, giving the feeling of walking inside a live organism, with its deep red and esophagus-like beams.
The Esch sur Alzette pedestrian bridge is equipped with stairs and an elevator and on the exterior, its appearance adapts to the weather outside, in a chameleonic variety. When it is sunny, its color is a sky-grey while if it’s cloudy it resembles the color of the firmament.
However except the impressive and modern design the Esch sur Alzette pedestrian bridge has also been awarded with the Steel Construction Award 2011 and was also the winner of Archdaily’s “building of the year award” for the year 2010.
