schuman bridge by explorations architecture spans lyon's river saône

schuman bridge by explorations architecture spans lyon’s river saône
image © jacques leone

constructed along the narrows of the river saône in france, this bridge by explorations architecture forms a new gateway to the historic center of lyon. situated between two other bridges dating back to the early 19th century, the latest crossing seeks to open up the river with two arches that plunge below the deck at mid-span. these arcs define an open area, a place above the water intended to become a small public area or viewpoint.

the structure is located along the narrows of the river saône in france
image © michel denancé

named ‘schuman bridge’, the structure appears as lightweight as possible, facilitating its integration into the existing urban landscape. the arches – the primary architectural challenge of the project – consist of triangular sections of steel casing with variable inertia, creating a line that shifts according to the viewing angles or the time of day. the thinness of the deck above is achieved thanks to a composite structure of steel and concrete.

the project forms a new gateway to the historic center of lyon
image © michel denancé

two arches plunge below the deck at mid-span
image © jacques leone

the structure appears as lightweight as possible
image © michel denancé

the bridge facilitates vehicular and pedestrian traffic
image © michel denancé

arches consist of triangular sections of steel casing with variable inertia
image © michel denancé

‘schuman bridge’ is the river’s 17th crossing
image © michel denancé

image © jacques leone

image © jacques leone

image © michel denancé

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project info:

technical description project owner: grand lyon (urban community of lyon)
project manager: explorations architecture
superstructure design: flint and neill
infrastructure design: AIA ingénierie
lighting design: les eclairagistes associés

measurements
total length: 180 m (2 spans of 85 m)
deck surface: 5,000 sqm deck width varies between 26 and 30 m
roadway width: 12 m uniform ‘soft’ mode sidewalk width varies between 4.50 and 6 m
composite deck thickness varies between 50 and 70 cm
metal framework support structure width: 1.60 m uniform
arch height: 11 m at the top of the arch
steel tonnage: 2800 T
construction cost: € 25 million

timeline
november 2009: invitation for proposal
may 2012: start of the bank development project
january 2013: start of framework fabrication in italy
september 2013: start of framework assembly at edouard-herriot port in lyon
november 2014: bridge is operational