azc: bridge in paris

‘bridge in paris’ by AZC architecture studio

the competition brief, a bridge in paris, allows paris-based studio AZC to locate an architectural reflection within the realm of contemporary urban enjoyment. by noting that the notion of happiness is often linked to nature they recognize that human beings remain nostalgic for and imaginative of a state of primal happiness, of ancestral times when body and spirit were essentially free.

while paris has grown to conform a movement to regular rituals and daily itineraries, it appears that the bridges and passages necessary for the flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic across its waterways. by inviting its visitors and inhabitants to engage on a newer and more playful path across this same water, a distinctive urban feature is proposed: an inflatable bridge equipped with giant trampolines, dedicated to the joyful release from gravity as one bounces above the river.

installed near the bir-hakeim bridge, the conception is formed out of inflatable modules, like giant life-preservers, 30 meters in diameter. in the central part of each ring, a trampoline mesh is stretched. the floating buoys, fabricated in PVC membrane, are attached together by cord to form a stable and self-supporting ensemble. each module under tension – filled with 3700 cubic meters of air – developing in  space with an arch-like form. designed entirely of light materials, the project crosses the seine at a specific point; it can of course  adapt to larger or smaller dimensions at other sites. located in direct relationship to eiffel’s tower the installation becomes symbol of  ephemeral architecture designed to provide a unique experience: a view of all of paris.

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