Organised by the City of Helsinki Public Works Department, the competition set out to find a bridge design of high quality in terms of technical implementation, economics and city milieu. The bridge will be constructed across Nordenskiöldinkatu at the crossing with Pohjoinen Stadiontie and Auroranportti.
Seven Finnish design teams and one Finnish-British team took part in the competition. The jury comprised City of Helsinki experts in bridge construction, city milieu and traffic design. The jury of the bridge competition found the selected proposal to be the most elegant from the city milieu perspective and to have acquired the most effective grasp of the site. The arch structure of the bridge was lauded as being bravely dynamic, yet visually light.
Upon completion of the bridge in 2012 pedestrian and bicycle traffic will be able to access the Eläintarha area from the Vantaa border via Keskuspuisto using a route that is completely free of level crossings with car traffic. In addition to enhancing the bicycle path network, the bridge will improve traffic safety and the flow of traffic at the crossroads of Nordenskiöldinkatu and Pohjoinen Stadiontie during major events.
The bridge to be constructed will be approximately 165 metres long. At five metres, the bridge will be wider than usual, designed to accommodate a cross-country skiing track if required. The appearance of the bridge is dominated by two supporting arches made of steel. The light-coloured arches span over 50 metres, reaching a height of nearly 20 metres.
For more information, please contact: Sami Niemelä, tel. +358 207 864 674, sami.niemela@wspgroup.fi
Conceptual images of the pedestrian and bicycle bridge.