Moreelse Bridge

Continuation of the urban space 

The design by cepezed is characterized by a span in a single clear, open gesture. The elongated esplanade has a high user appeal and incentive to linger, achieved through aspects such as the light double curve, the materialization and detailing, and the integration of trees.

In technical terms, the bridge consists of two large girders with a middle section in between. The various sight lines and orientations arise from and fit in with the given urban design situation. As a result, the Moreelsebrug functions more as a high-quality continuation of the urban space than specifically as an infrastructural object.

tree-bridge 

The trees on the bridge form a raised continuation of the trees already present on the connecting routes to and from the city centre. In this way, the bridge establishes an experience of uniformity and continuity that contributes to the naturalness of its use. The bridge’s lighting plan is modest and integrated in its handrail and promenade deck. This also contributes to the recognizability, aesthetics and functional logic; a stylish, elongated light contour with a row of trees lit from below indicates from afar the presence and objective of the bridge spanning the railway.

Model for Vancouver 

Mark Hume, journalist at the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, saw in the Moreelsebrug direct possibilities for the city of Vancouver: ‘This is not just a bridge’, wrote Hume, ‘it’s an architectural statement, a beautiful structure with graceful lines that opens up a pleasant, treed boulevard in the middle of a busy city. A bridge like that over False Creek would be a tourism magnet and would extend Vancouver’s remarkable public waterfront.’