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To increase capacity for inland shipping, the most important waterway in Flanders - the Albert Canal - is being modernized in many places. A bend at Merksem has been doubled in width and the clearance height also had to be increased, necessitating an entirely new bridge. The new Theunis Bridge is designed as a flowing link that connects the broad thoroughfares on either bank and therefore curves slightly. This naturally had consequences for the bridge’s geometry, as did the nearby high-tension cables and their required safety margin. It quickly became clear that the new bridge could not be a standard arch. The decision to create a hybrid design, with three parallel steel bridges that visually form a single whole, also enabled a rapid, phased execution and kept the traffic flowing during construction.
With its dark pillars, its dazzling white towers with their open structures and its meticulous detailing, the Theunis Bridge is a striking presence in the urban landscape. The canal banks and the passageway under the bridge have been through a metamorphosis too, resulting in safe, pleasant, hospitable urban surroundings. Wooden seats, greenery and good lighting below and beside the bridge make for a safe and enjoyable place where one can sit on a bench and enjoy the water and the passing ships. Patterns on the tiled walls refer to the ripples in the water. All these features result in an improvement for its users as well as for shipping. A flowing link, an eyecatcher, and a tone-setter for the further redevelopment of this urban area.
With 1,000 kilometres of navigable waterways, water transport in Flanders is a valuable and attractive alternative to road transport. But the limited clearance height and width under the bridges formed a bottleneck, restricting the further growth of inland shipping. Therefore De Vlaamse Waterweg has systematically enlarged all bridges over the Albert Canal. A crucial link was the Theunis Bridge, where the canal was at its narrowest, 48 meters. It has been widened to 90 meters. Now inland vessels with four layers of containers can sail safely and smoothly and pushed barge convoys can pass each other. The Theunis Bridge is also important as part of a project to give more space and comfort to cyclists and pedestrians. Winner: ArchitectureMasterPrize 2022
Nominations: Benelux Steel Bridge Award 2023, WAN Award 2022, Dutch Steel Award 2022
The design of the new Theunis Bridge unites functional demands with refined aesthetics. It consists of three steel bridges side by side, taking cyclists, cars and trams to the other side pleasantly and safely as if along a boulevard. The V-shaped, upward-folded columns of the tower structure - with their asymmetrical and dynamic silhouette - are a characteristic presence above pillars reminiscent of bridge towers or harbour cranes. The broad bicycle paths and footpaths hang like balconies on the outer sides of the bridge, protected from wind, weather and traffic noise by the bridge beams, and offering cyclists and pedestrians an unobstructed view of the water. Daylight has free play between the three bridges. The canal banks and the passageway under the bridge have been through a metamorphosis too, resulting in safe, pleasant, hospitable urban surroundings. All this makes the new Theunis Bridge an improvement not only for shipping, but also for users and the environment. A flowing link, an eyecatcher, and a tone-setter for the further redevelopment of this urban area.
The client fully supported ZJA in its quest for perfection. Bruno Verwimp (De Vlaamse Waterweg) said, “The Theunis Bridge is not only a great improvement for traffic and people, but the three bridges are also attuned to each other and the surroundings in great detail. The rhythm of the built-in lighting on the refined guardrails accompanies the passers-by, and even the slightly corbelled crash barriers are an integral part of the design, giving additional expression to the fluid play of lines.”
Architectural studio ZJA is an internationally oriented bureau, established in 1990 and specializing in infrastructure, public transport, sport and leisure. ZJA is committed to qualitatively improving the environment with its designs, from a human and ecological point of view. ZJA is optimistic about the opportunities for doing this, in the knowledge that we can learn to see and discover those opportunities only by collaborating and continually researching new methods and materials. The better the design, the more it is an enrichment of society, and the more refined and meticulous the interweaving of new functions into their surroundings.
