Christ Gantenbein . photos: © Angelika Annen
Construction progresses at Christ & Gantenbein’s Pont Neuf in Aarau.
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The oldest bridge in the Aarau region crossing the Aare river dates back to Roman times. It was rebuilt and replaced many times by different types of bridges, the latest being a concrete bridge from 1949. A competition aimed at the latter’s replacement, and extended requirements to the riverbank area to integrate the future structure into the urban context. Christ & Gantenbein’s winning design, is much more than just a transport infrastructure: while it connects the urban tissue, it equally forms a public space at the entrance to the old town, while the promenade along the banks is upgraded and reinterpreted.
The bridge will become a new member of a family of massive stone buildings, from medieval houses that form the city walls to a nearby pier, retaining walls, ramps, and bank fortifications. Their massiveness and geometries become the formal principle of the new bridge design: An arch bridge with five openings. It is not an isolated, supporting structure stretched between the banks, but a body that is firmly fused with the site and its context. The mural formation of the bridge integrates it on the site and works as a flexible principle for complex geometric conditions. The walls are slightly inclined and warped, creating a wider lane through slightly overhanging flanks. Three arches are generated by taking up the existing bridge piers and adding two more around the bank areas. The different topographies and traffic requirements generate an expressive structure that embodies dynamic movement and firmly anchors the new bridge in the Aare. The bridge is 108 m long and 15 m wide, and accommodates two lanes and sidewalks on both sides.
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Earlier scheme.
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