Footbridge in St. Peter, Fošínka

The current bridging of the St. Peter’s Creek in St. Peter’s is at the limit of its life (one of the authors almost walked away with a piece of the railing and got soaked), so we are proposing a new footbridge to this location. The concept behind the design is an atypical bridge deck construction – most footbridges have a bearing and a walking layer, but we are combining them into a single jointed structure.

In the original footbridge there were three supporting beams 24 cm high and perpendicularly placed planks on them. The whole structure was thus quite high and heavy. We bring lightness and subtlety to the site with long and slender timbers. Although the individual timbers would not have been suitable on their own, by joining them together the whole bridge deck gains exceptional rigidity, which is enhanced by the choice of timber.

We use azobé – an African tropical wood, also called “ironwood”. Why do we propose wood from Africa to the Giant Mountains? The current cycle of maintenance requires regular replacement of common timbers every 5-10 years. The choice of noble and tenacious azobe extends this interval several times. It is also a very strong wood, which allows for even greater structural slenderness than other available alternatives.

The entire footbridge is 8.5 m long and 1.1 m wide. It is positioned so that the pedestrian can enjoy the nearby river. It consists of 17 long slender beams made of azo-beam, supplemented by a thin steel railing made of strip steel, which could not be thinner due to the galvanizing temperatures. The planks are held together by 34 threaded galvanised bars, while the fasteners (also protected by zinc) create gaps through which needles, leaves, pebbles or even snow can fall – that’s our Fošínka.