VLM Bridge

VLM Bridge
© João Soares

VLM BRIDGE 

And -Re

ARCHITECTS
And -Re

PROMOTER
Inframoura, EM

ENGINEERING
Carmo

PROMOTER
Inframoura, EM

ARTWORK
Domingos Loureiro

ARCHITECTS IN CHARGE
Bruno André, Francisco Salgado Ré

PHOTOGRAPHS
João Soares

YEAR
2009

LOCATION
Quarteira, Portugal

CATEGORY
Pedestrian Bridge

Text description provided by architect.

VLM bridge is a pedestrian and bike bridge, part of a wider intervention in a main avenue in the city of Vilamoura. The 160m long wood bridge is conceived as a particular gesture in the path timeline sequence.

VLM Bridge
© João Soares
VLM Bridge
© João Soares

An exceptional moment in the pedestrian route, intended not only as a functional structure, but also as a seductive site-specific artwork element.

The project aims to break the relation of the user with the backing street, in terms of visual/sound noise, by directing the attention to the lake view, were sun sets in the golf, enhancing the site- specific nature of the global work.

VLM Bridge
© João Soares
VLM Bridge
© João Soares
VLM Bridge
© João Soares

This causes visual surprise, enticing the senses to avoid the obvious, providing an unexpected space for the passing user to rest and enjoy the views.

A 25x2.5m structural wood wall divides the street reality from the landscape reality.

One destined to rest and enjoy the calm sunset views, and the other with an urban identity, following a straight long plane parallely extended along the lane. This second reality is developed for the fast observation from inside the passing vehicles.

VLM Bridge
© João Soares
VLM Bridge
© João Soares

The artist Domingos Loureiro conceived an artwork composed by 180 wood boards, painted both sides, creating two 25m long images, for a different observation from the traffic lanes.

The images are invisible in a front view of the facade, but seen in a 45o angle, discovered with the car movement, like frames from a movie.


VLM Bridge
© João Soares
VLM Bridge
© João Soares
VLM Bridge
© João Soares
VLM Bridge
© João Soares


VLM Bridge
© João Soares
VLM Bridge
© João Soares


VLM Bridge
Elevation 1
VLM Bridge
Elevation 2


VLM Bridge
perspective Section
VLM Bridge
Floor Plan