Location
Malá Úpa, Czech Republic
50°43’35.7″N 15°48’38.9″E
Completion date
2019
Authors
project management: Zdeněk Zavřel, Robert Jelínek
student team: Filip Zdvořák (author of the proposal), Adam Bujok, Michaela Černá, Anton Lukáč, Vojtěch Palm,
Consultants
Tomáš Bryčka (static solution)
Collaboration
Lichtgitter CZ spol., Kovovýroba Peřina, Pila Martinice, Tomáš Stropek
Investor
Administration of the Krkonoše National Park, FA CTU
Authors of photos
Martin Čeněk, Jiří Ryszawy, Lubomír Kotek
The footbridge in the Eliška Valley near the Rennerových bud is designed to be crossed by car. In principle, the students avoided sturdy and heavy structural elements by composing the supporting structure with more shorter wooden beams that could be handled more easily. The design also limits the large areas that could hold water. The authors chose the traditional local material of timber, and the joints are made of steel for their durability. It was important to maintain the flow profile of the stream, which is helped by the raised footbridge. The design itself was conceived with the idea of shortening the span of the banks by using a broken arch, the so-called goat, which ensures that the span crossed is reduced by a third. The goat is composed of three trusses held together by a wedge. The whole structure rests on stone foundations. The supporting part of the bridge deck already bridges the distance between the bank and the goat, acting as a simple beam between the foundation and the middle part of the bridge deck, to which it is firmly connected. Access to the footbridge is by a wider path that descends the hill into the open valley, and the footbridge can be seen from a distance. The site has a peaceful and pleasant feel and it is this atmosphere that the design promotes. The walking grates are not only convenient because of the snow and weather, but they also provide visitors with an interesting view of the stream and the structure below.
