AOC Architects’ ultra-high performance concrete footbridge on Dřetovice stream
Conceived as a sort of “magic portal” between the land of the living and the realm of the dead, the Dřetovice stream footbridge, in the Czech Republic, connects the village of Vrapice with its cemetery.
Designed by AOC Architects, the bridge pushes building technology to the limit; the use of freeze-resistant and fiber-reinforced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) helped reduce the structural shell thickness. The result is an elegant landscape object – 10 meters long and 1.5 meters wide – weighing less than 3.5 tonnes. The dark gray color of the bridge was obtained by adding mineral pigments to the concrete mix, while the surface was finished by etching and hand sanding.
The bridge and the sculpture “The Guardian” by Jan Hendrych.
Photo courtesy AOC architects; photo credits, BoysPlayNice.
Aoc architects
Based in Prague, AOC Architects engage in a wide variety of projects. Their completed projects include the fountains for the Republic Square in Plzeň, residential villas, the reconstruction of the Rokoko Theater, and the renovation of the Revoluční Avenue in Prague. AOC Architects continuously collaborate with specialized engineers, technologists, artists, and theorists.
The Klokner Institute at CTU (Czech Technical University) in Prague was established in 1921 under the name of Research and Experimental Institute of Materials and Building Constructions. Among other things, the researchers at Klokner Institute engage in the research and development of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) and high-performance composites.
cross-sections of the bridge, courtesy of AOC Architects
Photos by Jakub Skokan and Martin Tůma / BoysPlayNice, courtesy AOC architects.
FACT SHEET
Bridge over the Dřetovice stream in the village of Vrapice, made of Ultra-High Performance Concrete
design: AOC Architects – http://aoc.archi/en/
with Klokner Institute at CTU
Project Location: Kladno – Vrapice, Czech Republic
Project year: 2018
Completion year: 2019
Area: 19,5 m2
Cost: ca. 27 000 €.
Client: The City of Kladno
Collaborators: Jan Hendrych | author of the sculpture
Jiří Kolísko | casting technology
KŠ Prefa | Bridge manufacture
Photo credits: Jakub Skokan and Martin Tůma / BoysPlayNice