This concrete footbridge spans a street in Lausanne, Switzerland, to connect a metro station with the scenic Sauvabelin Forest .
Developed by neighborhood firm 2b Architectes, the La Sallaz Footbridge extends across the principal road into the city from the north-east, connecting the just lately constructed La Sallaz station with the eastern entrance to the 80-hectare woodland.
The two the topography of the natural landscape and the city informed the design of the structure, which comprises a slender length of concrete with a faceted exterior surface.
At one end it rests over a grass bank, even though the other side is supported by two pairs of angled columns.
“The duality of diverse geometries at the spot gets to be a leitmotif for the bridge construction,” said 2b Architectes.
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“Depending on the perception from the distinct perspectives – whether 1 crosses above the bridge as a pedestrian, or underneath it as a automobile driver – the layout presents its play of crisscrossing lines in between the square and the street, thereby shifting them with each other into a characteristic type.”
The pathway, which looks like it has been carved out of the concrete, is lined with timber slats. These accentuate the angled facets while offering a warm contrast to the raw concrete exterior.
“To announce its dual function as a new gateway into the city, the design and style employs the two complementary materials of wood and concrete,” said the designers.
“The interplay between particular materials properties generates contrasting atmospheres for the vehicle drivers rushing by beneath and the pedestrians crossing the heart of the bridge above.”
The bridge was finished in 2012, around the same time that the La Sallaz station was undergoing a major growth. The new metro station is now comprehensive and links up with the bridge’s entrance.
On the forest side, the pathway prospects down to the ground by spiralling all around the grass mound.
Photography is by Roger Frei, unless of course specified otherwise.
Project credits:
Consumer: City of Lausanne
Group 2b: PH Béboux, S Bender, T Borges, T Auffret-Postel, M Buxton, G Warnking, G Garcier
Construction management: Monod-Piguet + 2b
Structural engineer: Monod-Piguet
Landscape architect: Cécile Albana Presset
Site plan 
Area Dezeen
