La Sallaz Footbridge

La Sallaz Footbridge
© Roger Frei, Zurich
La Sallaz Footbridge
© Roger Frei, Zurich

LA SALLAZ FOOTBRIDGE

2b architectes

ARCHITECTS
2b architectes

LOCATION
Lausanne, switzerland

CATEGORY
Pedestrian bridge

YEAR
2012

PHOTOGRAPHS
Roger Frei

CLIENT
City of Lausanne

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
Monod-Piguet + 2b, Lausanne

2B TEAM
Ph.béboux, S.bender, T.borges, T.auffret-postel, M.buxton, G.warnking, G.garcier

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Monod-Piguet, Lausanne

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Cécile Albana Presset, Lausanne

The pedestrian bridge between the Metro station and the Bois de Sauvabelin creates a connection between the urban plateau and the artificial natural landscape of le Vallon.

La Sallaz Footbridge
© Roger Frei, Zurich
La Sallaz Footbridge
© Roger Frei, Zurich
La Sallaz Footbridge
© 2b architectes, Lausanne

The duality of different geometries at the location, the quadrangular construction on the square compared to the so- called “natural” character of le Vallon, becomes a leitmotif for the bridge construction.

Depending on the perception from the different perspectives, i. e. whether one crosses over the bridge as a pedestrian, or under it as a car driver, the design presents its play of criss-crossing lines between the square and the street, thereby shifting them together into a characteristic form.

La Sallaz Footbridge
© 2b architectes, Lausanne
La Sallaz Footbridge
© Roger Frei, Zurich
La Sallaz Footbridge
© Roger Frei
La Sallaz Footbridge
© Roger Frei, Zurich

To announce its dual role as a new gateway into the city and as a connecting element for slower traffic, the design uses the two complementary materials of wood and concrete.

This provides solutions for the statics, while the interplay between specific material properties creates contrasting atmospheres for the car drivers rushing by below and the pedestrians crossing the heart of the bridge above.

La Sallaz Footbridge
© Roger Frei, Zurich
La Sallaz Footbridge
© Roger Frei, Zurich

On the opposite side, the construction rests on the mound of rubble created while the Metro was being constructed.

There, the atmospherically charged course is continued over the ramp, leading downwards in a large spiral through the dense ornamental shrubbery.


La Sallaz Footbridge
Section © 2b architectes, Lausanne
La Sallaz Footbridge
Sections © 2b architectes, Lausanne


La Sallaz Footbridge
Elevations © 2b architectes, Lausanne
La Sallaz Footbridge
Plan © 2b architectes, Lausanne